Stand My Ground
by StruggleBusCentral
Summary: When Juvia is forced to confront the fact that Gray has feelings for someone else, her whole world crumbles. But with a little self-discovery and some help from her weird, newfound friendship with the person she thought was the love of her life, Juvia starts to find herself again while uncovering the startling truth that she might have been in love with someone else all along.
1. Revelations

**A/N: Important PSA:**

 **This is in no way, shape, or form a gruvia story. Honestly, it leans more towards the 'anti-gruvia' side, if anything. It's about Gray and Juvia's _friendship_ and their romantic endeavors with Natsu and Lucy respectively. There's some unrequited feelings on Juvia's part, but that's where that ends. So if that's something that will offend you, please don't proceed. I don't want to upset anyone.**

 **Moving on.**

 **I am becoming the master of having an idea for a short fic and then having it spiral out of control.**

 **This was supposed to be maybe...5 pages long? And here we are, 60+ pages and 1 companion piece later. Oops.**

 **The idea came from this post from yesflowerprince on tumblr:**

 **Juvia realizes that she likes Lucy, rather than Gray after Gray starts acting Natsu. She seeks Gray out, and she asks to talk to him about something later on. When they do so, she cries and confesses her love for Lucy and confusion. Gray begins to talk to her and tells her about his experience of accepting himself. She begins throwing out her things for Gray. But as she found od love letters she noticed they are addressed to Lucy realizig she had always subconsciously like Lucy.**

 **I definitely took some liberty with it, but credit should be given where it's due and the concept was 100% theirs. So thank you for the inspiration!**

 **This is my first attempt to write something thats entire purpose is to explore romantic relationships, so I'm hoping it's not too rocky. There is some sexual content as well (another first! Woo...?). It's nothing too explicit, and it's more in the 2nd chapter than the first, but just a warning in case that bothers you.**

 **Big thank you to MiyuTanemura for betaing and giving me a title (which comes from 'Stand My Ground' by Within Temptation).**

 **Also shout out of admiration to any of you who write Juvia on a regular basis. Holy ravioli was that a struggle.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Revelations_

 _[In which Juvia makes two big discoveries about her love life while developing two deep friendships over hot beverages]_

Juvia sat by herself at her usual table located in the far corner of the guild hall. She was idly forming shapes out of the remaining water in her cup while staring silently at Gray who sat several tables away with his teammates, smiling and going over a potential job request. She sighed happily, content to spend her day watching her beloved and imagining the endless possibilities that their future together held.

However, her plans were interrupted by Gajeel dropping down heavily in the seat across from her wearing a ridiculous expression that made him look like he'd just swallowed a lemon.

"Juvia, we need to...ugh...we need to talk."

She drew her attention away from Gray and turned to face her longtime friend, "Yes Gajeel? Is everything alright? Is Levy-chan okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Shrimp's fine. It's not about her," he answered grumpily. "Look, it ain't my business and usually I wouldn't get caught up in this bullshit but you're my friend, so I'm gonna give it to you straight: Fullbuster doesn't return your feelings and he ain't gonna. He's already set on someone else."

Juvia started, immediately slamming her hands down on the table in alarm, "What?! There's someone else? How could there being anyone else when Juvia is meant to be with Gray-sama? Is it someone here? In Fairy Tail? It must be Juvia's love rival! How dare she-"

"Not bunny girl," Gajeel grunted, "and that's as much as I'm gonna say. Call it... _instinct_...but there's another person in the picture. He already belongs to someone else."

"Belongs to someone...? Someone besides Juvia? But that can't be possible, it just-"

"Let it go, Juvia," Gajeel said, words gruff but eyes offering her as much sympathy as he could muster. "This is crazy and it ain't good for either of you. You gotta stop. Just let it go. Y'know I wouldn't tell you this crap if it wasn't in your best interest. Now that's enough gross bullshit for one day. Where's that fire idiot; I gotta punch something."

Juvia watched the Dragon Slayer walk away, running his words over in her head.

' _That can't be true...Gray-sama is meant to be with Juvia. Gray-sama just doesn't want to admit it yet, but Juvia can wait_.'

* * *

A few days later Juvia was still listening to Gajeel's words echoing in her mind. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't keep their conversation from bouncing around in her head. It was...odd. Nothing had ever rattled her enough to make her second guess her feelings like this before. Maybe it was because it was from Gajeel, who would rather cut off his own arm than have an emotional conversation with someone and therefore wouldn't have brought it up unless he deemed it absolutely necessary. Maybe it was because it was the first time someone besides herself had suggested that another person also harbored romantic feelings for Gray. Maybe it was because until now she had never even allowed herself to entertain the idea that the ice mage could be in love with someone else. Maybe it was all three.

It didn't stop her from her usual routine of following Gray around or declaring her love to him or even watching him quietly from afar and smiling happily in admiration of the love of her life. But the whole time, a tiny voice in the back of her head was repeating, " _Let it go, Juvia. Let it go._ "

Sighing in frustration, she plopped down at the bar and rested her head on her arms.

"Is everything okay, Juvia? You seem a little down," Mira asked while bringing the water mage a cup of hot chocolate. "Here, chocolate makes everything better," she winked with a smile.

Juvia took the drink graciously and glanced once at Gray, who was in the middle of a brawl with Natsu, and turned back to the take-over mage.

"Mira-san," she started hesitantly, "do you think Gray-sama is in love with someone?"

Mira looked startled for a second and eyed Juvia carefully, "...why do you ask?"

Juvia sighed again, sipping her steaming drink, "Gajeel said that Gray-sama won't ever return Juvia's feelings because he loves someone else. Mira-san sees everything that goes on in Fairy Tail, so Juvia thinks she would know. Is that true?"

Mira reached out to squeeze the water mage's hand comfortingly, "May I be honest with you?"

Juvia nodded, "Please."

"Well he's never come out and said anything to anyone but," she glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, smile turning into a full-blown grin, "I think instead of Lucy, your 'love rival' might actually be Natsu."

That was a weird thing to say. Natsu? How could that even be possible? Gray love Natsu? Gray _belong_ to Natsu? They couldn't even be in the same room for five minutes without getting into a fight.

"Mira-san...have you been drinking...?"

Mirajane giggled and squeezed Juvia's hand again before releasing it and going back to the glass she'd been drying, "Of course not. And I can't really say if that's the absolute truth or not, it's just a feeling I've had for quite some time. And even if it was true, I doubt he'd ever say anything."

"Juvia doesn't understand."

The barmaid gently nudged Juvia's shoulder from over the bar in order to get her to turn around on the stool, "Look at Gray and Natsu and tell me what you see."

"Juvia sees Gray-sama and Natsu-san getting yelled at by Erza-san for fighting."

Mira laughed again, "Okay, yes, but try to look beyond that," she paused, waiting until Erza had finished her scolding. When she left, the two boys sighed in relief at her departure and sat down together, starting an amicable conversation as if they hadn't just been punching each other mere moments beforehand. "Now, look at Gray: see how his body language is open? How relaxed his posture is? He can be pretty secretive; Gray tends to keep his feelings to himself, but when he's with Natsu he's as open as I've ever seen him. Even when they're fighting his defense is less pronounced because they've been training together for so many years that they know what to expect. He might not even realize it, but I think Natsu makes him feel like it's safe to let those barriers down. They've been best friends for a long time, and call it what you will, but I've never seen Gray smile or laugh or express...well...anythingas much as I have when Natsu's around.

"Like I said, this is all just my observation from over the years," Mira stated flippantly, picking up another dish to dry, "but," she leaned in and whispered, "I think the real proof is in his eyes."

Juvia glanced over again, carefully focusing on the ice mage. Happy and Lucy had joined the table and Natsu must have been telling a story, based on his elaborate hand gestures, but Gray didn't even seem to be aware of what was being said. Instead he just gazed intently at the Dragon Slayer. He looked so calm, at peace in a way Juvia was shocked to realize she'd never noticed before. He was smiling in what looked like fond exasperation, but his eyes were shining with something much deeper. When Juvia studied them closer, she could see the longing interwoven with an undeniable love for the pink-haired mage that made her heart ache. It shook her to her core, because she recognized that look.

It was the one she saw every morning in her mirror.

"Juvia thinks she understands now...thank you," she said to Mira, offering her a watery smile and slipping away from the bar and out of the guild before bursting into tears.

* * *

The following week was full of rainstorms as Juvia spent the days in a deep depression, locking herself in her room and crying for what felt like hours at a time. How could fate be so cruel? All this time pining and going after the love of her life only to find out he truly had feelings for someone other than her. How was she supposed to go on now? _Gray had stopped her rain_. He was the first person besides Gajeel that she considered a friend, someone who cared about her, who treated her like she was worth something. She was so _sure_ they were destined to be together...

She curled up on her bed, sobbing loudly as the rain outside continued to pound against her window.

* * *

It was the afternoon of the sixth day of her isolation when an unexpected visitor came by. The knock on the door startled Juvia into awareness, and she begrudgingly peeled herself off the mattress to head to the entryway. She wasn't sure who she thought she'd find on the other side of the door, but she certainly didn't expect it to be Lucy, shaking the rain off a purple umbrella and holding a bouquet of bright flowers.

"Lucy...?"

"Juvia!" The celestial mage beamed. "Hi, I'm so happy to see you."

This confused the water mage greatly, an emotion that she must have been expressing outwardly based on the small frown that appeared on her blonde guest's face.

"You haven't been to the guild in days, and no one had heard from you. I was getting worried."

"Lucy was worried about Juvia?" Juvia asked slowly, mind still not quite making sense of the situation.

"Of course I was, don't be ridiculous. We're friends, aren't we? And friends worry about each other when one of them disappears. Oh! That reminds me: I brought these for you." Lucy quickly pushed the flowers into Juvia's hands and refused to look her in the eye, a dusting of red rising to her cheeks. "I didn't know what kind you liked, so I got a mix of them. Umm..." she trailed off nervously and Juvia didn't miss the way she was fidgeting with the string on her umbrella. "Okay, well I'm glad you're okay! See you around." And with that she turned and darted down the hallway and out of the dorm.

Juvia looked down to the flowers in her hand and back to the place Lucy had just been standing and despite herself, felt her cheeks flush and something warm flared up inside her.

Juvia put the bouquet gently into a vase on her bedside table and padded back to the comfort of her blankets. She stared, fixated on the flowers in something like awe until her eyes finally closed and she drifted into a peaceful slumber. She was fast asleep before she could notice that the rain outside had slowed to a drizzle.

* * *

Juvia spent the following few days still holed up in her room, not ready to face her friends yet. The pain in her chest was still present, a constant reminder of shattered hopes and what would probably never be, but as the hours passed, she found herself dwelling more and more on the flowers and the person that brought them than she did on her abandoned dreams. The hurt was still there, but every time she remembered the way Lucy blushed nervously at her door the pain became a little bit duller.

When she was finally ready to return to the guild hall, she was went straight to the bar and sat down. Mira offered her a sympathetic smile and handed her a mug of tea without being asked.

"How are you today, Juvia? We haven't seen you in a bit; we were starting to worry until Lucy said she went to check on you."

"Juvia is...better, thank you."

The barmaid smiled, "Good, I'm glad to hear it."

The water mage sat in silence for a while, distracting herself with the sounds her boisterous family before someone joined her at the bar.

"Juvia! You're back!"

Juvia jumped in surprise and spilled her now cold tea all over her lap.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Lucy said, "I didn't mean to startle you, I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. Here, let me help." She reached over the bar and grabbed a dish towel before carefully using it to wipe up some of the liquid on Juvia's thighs.

Juvia's face was on fire from the feeling of Lucy's gentle touches. "I-it-it's okay, Lucy," she swallowed thickly and placed her hands on top of the blonde's to still them. "Juvia is made of water; she isn't worried about a spill."

Lucy, who seemed to finally notice where her hands were, turned bright red and pulled away quickly, "Oh! Right. That's right. I'm sorry."

They stared at each other in awkward silence for another moment before being interrupted by Gray and Cana approaching the bar. Juvia's heart stuttered and she stared at the countertop.

"Hey Luce, Juvia."

"Oh hey guys! How's it going?"

"Ugh, it's already after noon and I haven't had a drink yet. Mira, care to remedy that situation?"

Mirajane laughed, "Sure, Cana, just a minute."

"You're a saint."

Juvia watched her friends in silence before being startled out of her trance by the object of her affections.

"Hey Juvia, you okay?" Gray leaned down to meet her gaze and frowned, "You haven't been around the guild all week. Is everything alright?"

Juvia fought desperately to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. ' _Gray-sama cared that Juvia was gone. He's being so nice...it isn't fair...'_

She cleared her throat, "Juvia is okay, thank you Gray-sama."

He offered her a small smile and a nod before heading elsewhere.

She watched him go despairingly while mentally telling herself, _'Gray-sama is not in love with Juvia. Let go. Let go. Let go._ '

The water mage repeated her agonizing mantra until she felt her insides go cold.

* * *

Letting go was probably the hardest thing she had ever done.

Juvia realized that her whole existence had revolved around her love for Gray and now that she was attempting to get rid of it, she had no idea what to do with herself. Who was she? Who did she want to be? She didn't even know where to start. Juvia had always struggled with finding herself. The rain and 'gloom' she brought had isolated her from others as a child and from that despair grew the need to hold on to something external, something outside of herself in order to avoid fixating on her broken insides.

Her sorrow and loneliness from childhood eventually turned into apathy, the only sign of the sadness she showed was the rain that followed behind her. When she joined Phantom Lord, she finally had a home. Her guild didn't care about the rain she brought because she was _strong._ She was Juvia the rain woman, a member of the glorified Element Four. Other mages feared her and she reveled in her power. There was an expectation of excellence, and Juvia did her best to not disappoint.

Fairy Tail wasn't like that. Her new home called to her and welcomed her with open arms and expected nothing in return, and Juvia had no idea what to do with that. All of the sudden her life was filled with sunlight and love and acceptance. It was amazing, but it was overwhelming. She hadn't known how to chart this new territory. It made her feel exposed. The water mage was so unaccustomed to wearing her heart on her sleeve that when she finally allowed herself to experience her emotions openly they left her feeling scattered and unsteady. So she'd taken all that new, nervous energy and zoned in on a single point in order to feel more focused.

That point just ended up being Fairy Tail's ice mage.

It made sense: Gray was the one who saved Juvia. He was the first to accept and forgive her, in the aftermath of a fight no less. The first crack in her facade was made by his hand. The first rays of sunshine she had ever witnessed were by Gray's side, were _because_ of him and it seemed like fate must have brought them together.

But fate must have had other plans because Gray never expressed the feelings in return and now she knew that he probably never would. So she decided to do the unthinkable: to move on.

She tried to take time to relearn herself. She hung on to ' _Let go. Let go. Let go_ ' until it actually meant something, until the words were more of a badge of accomplishment than a daunting to-do list . The process was nearly impossible in the first few weeks. She started small one day with deciding not to announce her love for him in the middle of the guild. Her throat felt a little strained from swallowing the proclamation down, but she managed and then vowed to try again the next day and the next until holding back the words didn't make her feel like she was suffocating.

When that became a little easier, she then worked to cool the jealous burn inside her when another girl got close enough to touch him. She focused her energy on making her magic stronger instead of focusing on her favorite things about Gray. She worked on enjoying the talks she had with Mira over cups and cups of hot chocolate instead of watching his every move. She sat with members of her family, starting to truly form deeper bonds with them instead of staying by herself in the corner. Every time Gray or his team took a mission, Juvia would take a job, too. It gave her something to think about and accomplish instead of following Gray secretly on his jobs or waiting around for him to come back. The battles gave her an outlet for her frustrations and helped dissipate the longing. Focusing on the job in front of her kept her from focusing on her pain.

It felt like chipping away at stone, every triumph just another tiny crack in a monument of changes. But eventually she started to feel like herself again. The pieces she thought she'd lost forever pulled together inside her. It became easier to smile, to laugh, to breathe even when Gray was nearby and when it finally felt like her world was evening out she decided that she might be ready to try actually being Gray's _friend_. Her heart still hurt a little when they spoke, but she'd have to work around it.

"Hey Juvia," Cana greeted one day. "I noticed you haven't been hanging off our resident icicle much lately. Everything okay in love-land?"

"Yes, everything is okay. Juvia and Gray-sama are just...friends." She had been telling herself that for so long now that the words almost came out without a hitch. She felt a small sense of victory when saying them out loud didn't leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

Cana grinned before taking a swig of her beer, "Whatever you say, doll."

In the midst of all these changes and self-discovery, Juvia found herself spending more and more time with Lucy, of all people.

The blonde mage seemed to have a knack for popping up when Juvia was suffering the most and acted like it was her personal goal to make Juvia smile. She wasn't always around, seeing as her team liked to keep busy but whenever she was Juvia was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Lucy radiated goodness and Juvia soaked it up as much as she could while struggling through this new chapter of her life. It was very weird but very welcome. She was both surprised and fascinated by how much she started to crave Lucy's attention.

These feelings were different. It wasn't like it had been with Gray. There was no loud clap of thunder in her mind, no shocking epiphany that her desires might extend somewhere past platonic. It was a small flower unfolding in her chest, a gentle light flickering at the edges of her vision until it no longer allowed her to ignore it.

"Mira, Juvia has a question," she started during one of their girl talks while contemplating the new development between herself and the celestial spirit mage.

Mirajane paused in her drink mixing and nodded for Juvia to continue.

"Juvia has...a friend...who needs advice. What should they do if they think they might have feelings for someone?"

"Well I'm not sure, Juvia. I guess it depends on what kind of relationship they already have with that person."

The water mage hesitated, "What if they were friends but weren't always friends...what if they had feelings for someone they used to consider their...rival?"

Mira smiled brightly, "Oh? And who might your 'rival' be?"

Juvia flushed. "Juvia is just asking for a friend," she squeaked.

Mira raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and Juvia had the feeling she could see right through her. "Well I'd say to just tell them how they feel. There's nothing wrong with having feelings for someone you used to compete with, it actually could make things kind of fun. But you know," she grinned, "if _your friend_ really wants advice on loving their rival, there's someone they could ask who's an expert on the subject." She nodded towards the table where Gray was sitting with Cana.

Juvia's face remained bright red as Mira said, "Just a suggestion!" and winked playfully before leaving the bar to deliver some food.

Juvia thought that sounded like a terrible idea.

So instead, she tried to push even the idea that she could like Lucy far from her mind. She was just a friend. Just a beautiful, nice friend who Juvia had zero romantic feelings for.

But unfortunately her heart wouldn't let it go, and it was when she was going through her belongings one night that she made a frightening discovery.

Juvia was finally ready to get rid of the stuff that reminded her of Gray. She had held onto it for so long because she had been afraid to part with it, but now she felt that disposing of it was just one more thing to help free her. She pulled out a box from under her bed and started to throw things in the trash. She had piles of pictures, a couple articles of clothing she had secretly swiped when he stripped at the guild, some other odd items that reminded her of him, and lists upon lists: her favorite things about him, the nicest things he'd ever said to her, the plans for their future wedding.

Looking at everything now, she was struck with the sudden weight of how _overwhelming_ it all was. Had she really written down silly plans and taken clothes from a boy whom she had convinced herself was in love with her? Even when all he'd really ever shown her was the same love he gave to the other members of their family? Even when he had clearly expressed - on several occasions - that her advances were unrequited and uncomfortable? How far had she pushed him by drowning out any words she didn't want to hear?

Gray was special to her. He would always be special to her, but Juvia was surprised and ashamed to realize how many lines she had crossed in trying to make him love her.

Ever since the day they'd met she'd put him high on a pedestal, worshipped the ground he walked on, and wanted nothing more than to have all of his attention directed her way. Juvia had looked at Gray like he was the answer to all of her problems, like he must belong to her because she was the one he chose to rescue.

But Gray was just a boy with his own dark past and his own broken pieces and Juvia had inadvertently put the weight of her world on his shoulders. Many times she'd listened to the murmurs of her guild mates hounding him for being so cruel to her by not acknowledging or returning her affections. Now she found herself wondering if really _she_ was the one with good intentions turned sour by her callous disregard for his feelings.

Trying to push away the spark of guilt, she continued to discard love letter after love letter until she found something that made her pause.

Some of those letters weren't addressed to Gray.

There weren't many, but at least a handful were addressed to _Lucy_.

"What...?" she wondered in astonishment and blatant confusion. She had no memory of writing them. Often times she wrote letters late at night when she was delirious from exhaustion and drunk off dreams of love and more times than not she couldn't recall what she had written in her sleep addled state by the time she woke up the next morning. She always saved them but had never really taken the time to reread any until now.

And now she was curious.

The first letter to Lucy was one she had written after the Tower of Heaven incident when Juvia first joined the guild. She took up several pages thanking the Celestial Spirit mage for saving her during their battle and for considering Juvia a friend even after she had put her through such horrible things when she helped kidnap her for Phantom Lord. She said she hoped Lucy and her would continue to grow closer together and remain friends, now that Juvia had joined Fairy Tail.

The next letter was a list of all of Lucy's good qualities. She remembered writing it now. It had been a day when the blonde was particularly depressed about a job that went poorly. She had confessed to the water mage in a low voice and with teary eyes that she felt like a failure because she let her team down, because she wasn't strong enough. Juvia had gone home and written down all of the things she loved about Lucy and all the things that made her perfect from her enchanting smile to her fierce determination to the radiant light that shined from within her. Juvia admired her confidence and beauty. She could see the way Lucy endlessly loved both her Fairy Tail family and her spirits. She was clever and funny and occasionally had a red-hot temper like many other members of the guild which Juvia couldn't help but find equally ridiculous and adorable.

The last couple of letters were more poetic, filled with silly metaphors and pretty imagery. Lucy was sunshine, always so bright and vibrant and bringing joy to those she touched. She was sweet like wildflowers but tough like stone. Her eyes were dark pools of warm honey and filled with the flare of thousands of stars. Her hair shined like spun gold and it would be nothing short of amazing to have the privilege to run fingers through it, across her pink lips, down the smooth expanse of her skin.

Juvia's face was flushed with embarrassment by the time she put them down. She guessed she'd been too distracted or maybe too nervous to ever give Lucy any of these notes, and she was grateful that she hadn't because this...this was too much. She thought about the place in her heart that Lucy had recently taken residence. She thought back to her conversation with Mira and how she had felt strongly enough about the change in her relationship with Lucy to come out and question just how deep those feelings ran. And now coming across these letters...things she had written in the hours when her heart was the most open and her soul was bared for the world to see...what on earth was going on with her?

Far too tired to deal with the flutter in her chest or the meaning behind her own compilation of words, she crawled into bed and fell asleep with thoughts of the celestial spirit mage circling in her head.

* * *

" _Juvia," Lucy grinned. "You have bubbles on your cheek. Here." She leaned forward with a lazy smile, deliberately moving slowly so Juvia could watch as each muscle shifted under her skin. The water mage felt a feather-light touch as her blonde companion wiped a group of soapy bubbles off her face._

 _Juvia closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of hot water lapping against her abdomen, the sweet smell of bath bubbles, and the spark from where her and Lucy's bare bodies were entangled._

 _Lucy's bathtub might not be meant for two people, but they certainly made do._

 _Smiling peacefully, the water mage scooped up a handful of bubbles and used her finger to plop some onto the tip of Lucy's nose. The blonde giggled and swatted Juvia's hand away playfully._

" _Lucy is the most beautiful thing Juvia has ever seen," she murmured while softly stroking Lucy's calf._

 _There was a moment of water splashing over the sides of the tub and knees clacking into each other while Lucy rearranged herself until she was on her knees, looking at her partner with a pink flush and half-lidded eyes._

" _These last few weeks on separate jobs were terrible," she said quietly. She reached forward until her hands were gripping the opposite side of the tub, body held between Juvia's thighs. Then she pressed her lips to the water mage's ear and whispered, "I think we should make up for it, don't you?" into her skin._

 _Juvia shivered despite the overwhelming heat from the water. She wound one arm around Lucy's waist and curled the other into her hair, moaning faintly when their chests pressed together. "Yes," she whispered back. "Yes, Juvia does."_

 _She felt more than saw Lucy's smile, "Good." Then Juvia turned her head and pressed their mouths together. Lucy sighed happily against her lips and ran her hand up and down Juvia's thigh agonizingly slow until she moved closer and with practiced precision slipped her fingers-_

Juvia bolted up in bed, panting heavily and face on fire. Her blankets were in a disarray, tangled tightly around her legs. With a trembling hand she carefully brushed her fingers along her lips, feeling the phantom tingle of where dream-Lucy had kissed her.

' _What is happening?_ '

She thought back to the letters. To the flowers Lucy gave her and the way she'd nervously tugged at her umbrella. To the way her heart raced when Lucy touched her thighs trying to clean up her spilled tea. To the heat and passion she felt just now in her vivd dream.

Was she finally willing to admit that she had feelings for her? That she was _in love_ with Lucy Heartfilia? The gorgeous celestial spirit mage? Her first real female friend? Her once considered 'love rival'?

But how...what...where did she go from here? How was she supposed to process this craziness now that she accepted the revelation? What the hell should she do now?

Then suddenly, like she was struck with a bolt of Laxus' lightning, she knew _exactly_ what she needed to do, or rather, who she needed to see. After tugging on her dress and a pair of boots, she sprinted out her door in the direction of the one she hoped would provide some guidance.

After all, there was only one other person she knew that was also desperately in love with their rival.

* * *

"Gray-sama!" Juvia yelled, pounding loudly on his front door, "Gray-sama! Are you home? Gray-sa-"

The door was flung open revealing Gray standing in just his black boxers and looking at her through hazy eyes.

"Juvia, do you have any idea what time it is?" he mumbled sleepily, "I'm really not in the mood to-"

"What did Gray-sama do when he realized he was in love with Natsu-san?"

That seemed to jolt the ice mage into awareness. His eyes widened in shock and he glanced around outside to make sure no one was there to hear them.

"What? What're you...how did you... _what_?"

"Juvia wants to know how Gray-sama handled it when he realized he was in love with Nats-"

She was cut off by a cold hand being placed over her mouth. It was only removed after she had been yanked inside the flat and the door was slammed shut behind her.

"Jeez, you can't just go around shouting stuff like that where anyone could hear you," Gray grumbled, pale complexion only serving to better highlight the dark flush across his cheeks. "Well I'm awake now," he sighed, "what's going on?"

Juvia huffed in irritation at having to repeat herself for the third time, "Juvia wants to know what Gray-sama-"

"Yeah, yeah. I got that part," the ice mage interjected, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What I want to know is why you'd think that and what it has to do with anything."

Juvia frowned, twisting the hem of her dress in her hands nervously. "Please, Gray-sama," she mumbled quietly, "Juvia needs your help."

Gray's gaze softened when he noticed how distressed she seemed. He let out another deep sigh and put a hand on the water mage's shoulder. "Why don't you go sit down; I'll make some tea."

By the time he handed her a hot mug she was seated comfortably and cuddled under a blanket (it was an oversight on her part that she hadn't expected his house to be freezing). She sipped the steaming liquid as she watched him settle at the other end of the couch, legs crossed and facing her.

"Gray-sama makes good tea."

He shrugged, "It's not like it's hard. Plus, it was always cold in Isvan; drinking hot tea was pretty normal, so I had a lot of practice making it as a kid." Gray looked up from his own drink to gaze at Juvia curiously and she could feel herself getting nervous under his examination.

"So..." he started after a moment of tense silence, "care to explain to me what exactly's going on and why you felt the need to show up at my door to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

Juvia felt her face heat up in embarrassment, but his tone was surprisingly gentle even with the accusation.

"Juvia needs relationship advice."

Gray stared at her warily, "Juvia...if this is about you and me, I'm sorry but I've already told you-"

"It isn't about Juvia and Gray-sama," she responded quickly, watching as the tension in his body quickly dissolved.

"Okay," he breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. Okay then. Relationship advice..." he paused before asking dryly, "...and you thought that with no love life to speak of and zero relationship experience I would be the best to ask...why?"

"Mira said she thinks Gray-sama has been in love with Natsu-san for a long time and she can see it in his eyes and-"

"Ugh...seriously? What the hell, Mira," Gray groaned, tipping his head back to glare at the ceiling.

Juvia giggled and pressed on, "So she's right then? That Gray-sama loves Natsu-san?"

"Tch. No way. Me? Love that fire-eating freak? That's ridiculous. He's an idiot. He's the most obnoxious person alive. He's...That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," he started to babble, suddenly jittery and voice climbing in pitch. "Nope. No love here. Just-I definitely don't care about-Of course I don't, that's just...why would I-"

"Gray-sama," the water mage cut him off mid-ramble and eyed him skeptically, "it's okay to tell Juvia the truth."

She watched in fascination as the flush on Gray's cheeks from before came back with a vengeance, deepening and spreading down his neck while he pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Right. Umm..." he trailed off, abnormally shy and refusing to meet her eyes, "Yeah. Yeah I do."

Juvia was surprised that hearing it from him didn't hurt like she thought it would.

"How did Gray-sama feel when he figured it out?"

"Scared," he admitted quietly. "Dumb mostly, like there must be something wrong with me. I never..." he took a deep breath then paused, and Juvia waited patiently for him to continue, "I never really wanted to get close to anyone again after everything that happened before I came to Fairy Tail. I felt like bad luck, y'know? Everywhere I went someone got hurt. The thought of losing someone else was too painful.

"But," he glanced up with a wistful smile, "I ended up getting attached to everyone anyways. It's hard not to in a guild like ours, y'know? I didn't want a new family, but I still ended up with one. And then one day Gramps brought Natsu to the guild and that idiot flame brain busted up into my life and has stayed there ever since. Even though we drove each other crazy, _still_ drive each other crazy, he was always there. He was so loud and pushy and irritating that it was impossible for me to forget about him or get him off my mind. And we started spending a lot of our time together until it got to the point that I couldn't stand to not be with him for too long. Which is insane, right? There we were, spending most of our time together beating each other senseless, and I somehow managed to _fall in love_ with him? It's ridiculous! Who does that?" He broke off long enough to let the edge of hysteria ease out of his voice. "It was like suddenly I woke up one day and it all just hit me. I realized that he makes me feel things in a way I thought I couldn't anymore. He makes me want to be better, stronger...he makes me think I can get through anything as long as he's got my back.

"But I just-" he swallowed thickly, "I love him so much it's stupid. Why the hell did I have to start having feelings for _Natsu_ of all people? I tried to fight it. I tried to will it away, but I just couldn't do it. No matter what I do or how hard I try I can't stop looking at that fire-breathing dumbass like he hung the goddamn stars in the sky.

"Eventually it became clear that trying to ignore my feelings was a useless endeavor so I just learned to accept it. I love who I love and I guess I can't change that, even if I wanted to. But I wouldn't want to, not really, not anymore. Natsu makes me happy. He pisses me off endlessly, but he makes me happy. As long as I have him in my life that's good enough. All he has to do is stick around and I'll be okay."

"But Gray-sama has never told him?"

Gray looked up at her in alarm, nearly dropping his drink, "Hell no! And you can't either, yeah? Can you imagine what he'd say if he found out? He'd never let me live it down! Besides...what if it freaked him out and he couldn't stand to be around me anymore? I'd rather be his friend than risk making him so disgusted with me that it scares him away.

"Ah...and now that I'm thinking of it, well...I guess I owe you an apology. I always knew how you felt about me, but I didn't know how to handle that. I'm sorry I was never very gentle with the whole situation. It was just...a lot. I didn't know what to do, so I guess I just tried to ignore it."

"There is no reason to apologize. It's okay that Gray-sama doesn't feel the same way. Juvia finally understands now," Juvia responded gently, then frowned, "Juvia is sorry, too. She has not been respectful of Gray-sama's wishes or boundaries. She hopes Gray-sama can forgive her."

Gray looked surprised at her apology but grateful all the same. "Thank you," he mumbled softly. "And it's okay, I forgive you."

Juvia sighed in relief. "Juvia is grateful for Gray-sama's kindness to her," she said, then paused before adding, "And Juvia thinks Gray-sama should tell Natsu-san about his feelings."

The smile he gave her became too sharp and forced and it hurt her heart, "Did you know that dragons mate for life?"

"Yes..." she answered, momentarily startled by the odd change of subject. What did that-

"Well Dragon Slayers are the same."

 _Ah_.

His statement brought her back to the one and only time she and Gajeel had a real conversation about his love life.

" _Is Gajeel ill?"_

 _The Dragon Slayer groaned irritably in response and laid his head on the table, "Buzz off, Juvia. Not in the mood."_

 _Juvia rolled her eyes and sat down next to her friend, "Juvia will stay here until Gajeel tells her what is wrong with him."_

 _He glanced up at her. It was his turn to roll his eyes when he noticed the determination in her stare._

" _It's nothing, just..." he sighed and she followed his gaze over to where Levy was reading a few tables over._

" _Gajeel...has feelings for Levy-chan?"_

 _She received a glare in response._

" _Juvia thought that everyone already knew that."_

" _Good grief," he muttered. She grinned when his face turned the color of his eyes._

" _Juvia doesn't understand what the problem is. Gajeel should just tell Levy-chan how he feels."_

 _He rolled his eyes again. "Yeah well, not everyone is as willing to declare their stupid feelings to the whole damn world as you are," he said gruffly before continuing, "besides, it's more complicated than that."_

" _How?"_

 _Gajeel let out an agitated sigh, "Look, this is...real personal so don't you go sharing it, got it?"_

 _She nodded and he continued reluctantly, "Dragons have one mate for life. Just one. That's it, forever. Dragon Slayers are the same."_

" _Okay...so what?"_

" _So what?!" He shouted angrily before realizing where they were and dropped his volume again, "So it's a permanent bond. When a dragon chooses their mate, it's a done deal. Finished. The fucking end."_

" _Juvia thinks that sounds lovely and romantic."_

 _He stared at her flatly, "It's a pain in the ass. It ain't some magical voodoo shit that makes them love you back either. They can just as easily reject the bond as they can accept it."_

" _And Levy-chan is Gajeel's mate?" Juvia asked slow and soft as she finally understood what he was getting at. "And he's afraid she will reject him?"_

 _She watched sympathetically as he slumped back onto the table's hard, wooden surface, "How could she not? After all the things I've done, the things I did to her, to her team...Shrimp's way too good for someone like me."_

 _Juvia patted his arm and smiled, "Gajeel will never know unless he tries."_

" _Yeah, right," he grumbled in response, "whatever. Let's get the fuck outta here. I'll go grab a job." She watched as he shot Levy one last longing look before stalking away, thus ending the discussion._

 _(Turns out Juvia had been right, because a few months later she watched on happily as Levy and Gajeel walked into the guild hand-in-hand, Levy grinning with pink cheeks and Gajeel looking thoroughly uncomfortable as the solid script mage tugged him around the hall and that was the end of that.)_

"Juvia? You okay?" Gray's hesitant calling brought her back to the present.

"Gray-sama will never know unless he tries," she stated, repeating the same words she'd said to Gajeel not so long ago.

"What...?"

"Gray-sama will never know unless he tries. Juvia still thinks you should say something to Natsu-san."

Gray gaped at her for a moment before looking away with a scowl and crossing his arms indignantly. "Don't you get it? Even if I did tell him, it wouldn't do anyone any good. Natsu already has a mate, even if he doesn't realize who it is yet. Bringing up how I feel would not only be incredibly humiliating but also totally pointless. Trust me, it's better this way."

"But Gray-sama-"

"Juvia, stop," he demanded but it came out more like a plea. He hesitated and gave her a small smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Anyways," he blew out a breath and ran a hand nervously through his hair, "We've gotten way off topic. How are my feelings for Natsu supposed to help you with anything?"

Juvia took a big gulp of her tea while trying to work up the courage to explain the real reason for her impromptu visit.

"Juvia wanted to know how it felt for Gray-sama to be in love with a rival because...because Juvia thinks she might be, too."

Gray tilted his head, studying her curiously, "In love with your 'rival'? But who..." he trailed off before his eyes widened and he grinned, " _Lucy_? You're into Lucy?"

It was the water mage's turn to blush and Gray laughed as he watched color spread across her face.

"I think that's great, Juvia," he said sincerely, "Luce's great. I think you'd be good for each other."

Juvia beamed, "Really?"

Gray nodded and the warmth in his eyes made her heart swell, "Really. So then, how do you feel now that you figured out you have feelings for her?"

Juvia's looked away embarrassed, "Gray-sama!"

"Hey, I spilled my dumb feelings to you. You can tell me the truth, too. Turn about's fair play."

Juvia pouted but couldn't help the way her lips quickly turned up at the corners.

"Like Gray-sama and Natsu-san, Juvia didn't like Lucy at first either because she thought she was her rival in her love for Gray-sama. But Juvia started thinking more and more about her...she was the first girl to ever call Juvia her friend, even after all the terrible things Juvia did to her when in Phantom Lord. Even when Juvia would pick fights with Lucy about being her love rival, Juvia realized she was starting to use it to try to get Lucy's attention just as much as she was Gray-sama's. Juvia is confident in her magic, but she has never felt as powerful as she did when she and Lucy did a unison raid. Lucy saved Juvia that day, just like Gray-sama saved Juvia when he stopped her rain. Juvia thinks Lucy is strong and beautiful and when she smiles her eyes are so bright that Juvia feels like her insides are boiling."

Gray rested his head on his knees and considered her thoughtfully, "Not that I have any room to talk, but you should tell her. I think you'd be surprised at what she'd say."

Juvia hummed in response. "Has Gray-sama always liked men?"

Gray groaned, "Jesus, Juvia. I guess...I don't really know. I realized I liked Natsu when I was pretty young, so I never really felt that way about anyone else. I guess I never stopped to think about it."

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama is disgustingly sappy about someone he punches on a regular basis."

Gray barked out a laugh, "Yeah, I supposed you're right. And what about you? Is Luce the first girl you've liked?"

Juvia thought about it for a moment before settling on, "Juvia likes anyone. She has liked men and women and both and neither." She paused before adding, "Juvia likes people who have beautiful hearts. She likes people that are pretty inside and out. It's one of the reasons she loves Gray-sama."

The ice mage glared, flushing brightly and grumbling, "I'm _not_ pretty."

The water mage just giggled and rolled her eyes because anyone in their right mind would agree that yes, he really was. _Boys_.

"And Lucy...Lucy is the most beautiful thing Juvia's ever seen," she confessed softly, words an echo from her dream.

They fell into an easy silence until Gray finally broke it.

"This is nice," he told her while swirling around the remaining contents of his mug, "spending time with you like this? It's nice to have someone to talk to. I've never really felt like I could tell anyone this crap before." He looked up finally and offered her a smile. "Thanks, Juvia. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful."

Juvia felt a wave of peace wash over her at his sincerity and thought that maybe, just maybe, she could make this work.

"Juvia thinks it's nice, too. Perhaps...we can spend more time together? As...friends?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

They sat in another content silence, both lost in thought until Juvia smiled mischievously, "Maybe Juvia will tell her rival about her feelings when Gray-sama tells his."

Gray blinked at her owlishly for a moment before bursting into laughter, "Well, if that's the case then we're both going to die alone."

The water mage couldn't stop grinning as she leaned forward to playfully smack Gray's arm.

' _Yes,'_ she though to herself, ' _Juvia can do this.'_

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Complications

_Chapter 2: Complications_

 _[In which Natsu develops a bad habit of interrupting potential love confessions, Gray pulls a disappearing act, and Juvia initiates an aggressive game of trivia]_

* * *

It was awkward at first.

Despite the fact that they had poured their hearts out to each other that night on Gray's couch, the nature of their very new, very platonic relationship took a bit more time to level out.

It was clear that Gray was still wary of Juvia and whether or not her resolve to remain only friends was going to stick, so she made a point to prove to him (and herself, if she was being honest) that she was capable of maintaining a close relationship without falling back into bad habits or past longings.

So they shared awkward smiles across the guild hall, exchanged friendly words in passing, and took tiny steps in delicately toeing the line between comrades and companions.

Until one day Gray had approached her, looking hesitant and uncomfortable, and asked if she wanted to take a job with him. He held out the flyer for her and she stared back at it as if it was written in another language. But when Gray started nervously shifting back and forth on his feet, she reached out and took the paper, nodding with a huge smile.

After that, any awkwardness between them was swiftly chucked out the window.

They took the first job together, which led to another and another until they developed a routine of taking joint missions when both of their teams were out on solo jobs or otherwise unavailable. Gray started joining her at the bar during her talks with Mira. Juvia suggested that since they were frequently working together they should train together too, so the pair spent afternoons practicing their magic with each other until their movements flowed together with precision and harmony. The water mage spent many late nights on Gray's couch watching as he poured her cups of tea while pouring out all of his thoughts to her. Apparently he had come to the conclusion that if he had no choice but to trust her with one of his biggest secrets, he would trust her with everything, and Juvia reveled in the way that trust seemed to know no bounds. She occupied that time with getting to know Gray in a way she wasn't able to when she had been so blinded by her love for him. It allowed their friendship to grow into something new and special.

And as Juvia uncovered more and more layers to her affections for Lucy, Gray stayed with her and listened to her. His calm demeanor kept her grounded, prevented her from falling off the deep end when she got too overwhelmed with her feelings. She had learned her lesson with her less-than-ideal handling of her feelings for him and was ready to take things a bit slower this time around, to not push too hard even as her desire for Lucy grew rapidly and refused to be shaken.

Coincidently, the day Juvia accepted the fact that she was pining for someone else was the day that most of their fellow guild members came to the mutual conclusion that she and Gray were finally dating. The only people who seemed to acknowledge the truth were Mirajane, who managed to become the third member of their weird trio of secret-sharing and Gajeel, who had somehow known Gray liked someone else right from the beginning and who also couldn't possibly give less of a fuck about who in the guild was dating.

After the first dozen times they failed to convince everyone otherwise, they gave up on trying to correct them. What did it matter to them if people thought they were together?

"Of course it matters, silly. How are you going to admit your feelings to the people you're actually in love with if they think you two are already together?"

Juvia thought over Mira's words carefully, "Hmmm...maybe Mira is right. Juvia supposes it could pose a problem in the future."

"So why don't you just go tell Lucy who you actually want to be dating?" Gray asked casually, stopping to sip his drink, "There you go. Problem solved."

Juvia patted his arm and gave him a teasing smile, "Juvia told Gray-sama: she will confess her feelings when he does."

"Yeah, and I told you I'd drop dead before that happened. And I meant it."

"Oh Gray," Mira sighed from behind the counter, "Don't be so ridiculous. Just go tell him how you feel. He won't bite." She frowned, "On second thought, it _is_ Natsu, so he might but I hardly see how that would be any different than how you two act on any other day."

"Yes! Gray-sama should tell him! Juvia thinks it has been long enough. Gray-sama is ready!"

"I don't know why I hang out with you two, you're insufferable. And while we're on the subject," he glared at Mirajane, "why the hell didn't _you_ just talk to Juvia about what being in love with your rival is like? You and Erza used to fight worse than me, Natsu, and the rest of the guild put together."

The take-over mage grinned happily at where her girlfriend was sitting, deep in discussion with Laxus and Freed a few tables away. When Mira caught her eye and blew her a kiss, Erza offered a soft smile and a nod in return, managing to keep the pretty pink blush of her cheeks from brightening too heavily. "Well I suppose I could have, but where's the fun in that? Besides, how else was I supposed to get you to finally fess up to your feelings to someone? I had to start somewhere."

Gray just put his head down on the counter, "You're insane."

Mira ruffled his hair affectionately, "And you're too stubborn for your own good."

Juvia laughed watching the exchange. Maybe they weren't any closer to being ready to act on their feelings for anyone, but that was okay. It was a work in progress.

* * *

Juvia was laying down by the river, eyes closed and at peace. The sun shone down from a clear blue sky. She listened to the running water, the hum from the bustle in town, and in the distance she could hear the faint noise of Natsu and Gray sparring further down the river, sounds of a scuffle and playful insults thrown back and forth between them. The water mage smiled to herself at their antics and sighed, more than content to spend her whole afternoon relaxing in the sunshine.

"Hi Juvia."

Juvia let out a loud squeak and bolted upright. It took her a moment to process the giggling behind her and she turned back and looked up to see Lucy smiling down at her.

"I wasn't trying to scare you!"

Juvia pouted in mock irritation before both girls burst into laughter. "Lucy seems to have a bad habit of sneaking up on Juvia."

Lucy grinned, "Yeah, I guess I do."

Juvia smiled in return and laid back down once more. She watched Lucy stretch out her arms and legs in grass beside her. "It's really beautiful today, huh?"

Juvia hummed, "Yes, Juvia thinks it is too." She had to bite her tongue from admitting that she thought Lucy was far more beautiful to look at than the weather ever could be.

The sound of a big splash echoed around them, followed by a mix of laughter and cursing.

"I swear those two can be such children sometimes." Juvia couldn't see Lucy, but she could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"Juvia doesn't think she'll ever understand boys."

Lucy laughed, "That makes two of us."

They fell into an easy silence. Juvia basked in the way the cool breeze made Lucy's body heat seem even warmer.

After a few moments, the water mage felt something brush lightly against her thigh. She looked down to see Lucy tapping her before returning her hand to where it had been laying at her side. Feeling a spark of bravery, Juvia slowly inched her hand across what felt like the mile wide gap between them until Lucy met her halfway, loosely intertwining their fingers.

"Hey Juvia," Lucy called softly, "Can I ask you something?"

Juvia opened her eyes and turned her head so she was facing Lucy, "Of course. Lucy can ask Juvia anything."

Lucy eyed their joined hands, and Juvia squeezed her lightly in encouragement. "I was wondering...do you...what I mean is, would you-"

"Hey Lucy! Are you ready to go?"

Both girls jumped at the yell, startled into sitting while quickly separating their hands. Lucy turned back to where Natsu and Happy were waving her over, ready to head out for their job.

"Hell, he has the worst timing," she muttered in irritation.

Juvia tapped her shoulder, "Lucy? Is there something you needed to ask?"

She watched as her friend seemed to wage an internal battle before shaking her head, "No. No, it's okay. It can wait." She climbed to her feet and dusted off her skirt. "Well, I'll see you soon, Juvia." Lucy smiled and waved before heading off to catch up with Natsu.

As Juvia watched her go, she cradled her now empty hand and frowned at the way it grew colder with each step Lucy took further and further away from her.

What could have been so nerve wracking that it made Lucy hesitant to say? Was it too daring to think maybe Lucy harbored the same feelings as her? Juvia didn't know if Lucy liked someone, or even if she liked girls in the first place. And it didn't help that _everyone_ liked her. She was so pretty and brilliant and funny. She drew people to her like a moth to a flame. Everyone seemed enamored with her charm and she was friendly right back to them, smiling and laughing with anyone who came her way. So was there really any chance that her nerves could be tethered to wanting something more with someone like Juvia? The water mage had no idea, and the whole thought process was making her head spin.

' _What was she going to ask?'_

* * *

Unfortunately, Juvia didn't have a lot of time to hash out Lucy's odd behavior, because a few days later the world seemed to fall apart.

It was late afternoon when she walked into the guild with Gray after just completing a job, and the hall was filled with people. Gray went to the bar to let Mira know they had returned while Juvia broke off to track down Gajeel. She and the Iron Dragon Slayer already had another job lined up and planned on leaving as soon as she arrived back in town. Once she located his table she headed over to inform him she was back.

"You smell weird," Gajeel stated bluntly when she sat down across from him.

"Juvia is happy to see you, too," she said wryly.

He leaned over the table a bit to sniff her before retreating and making a weird face, "You smell like Fullbuster. A lot."

"Well, Juvia and Gray-sama _did_ just come back from a job together."

"Yeah I know that, stupid. What'd you two sleep in the same bed or something?"

Juvia stared at him blankly, "Yes?"

The Dragon Slayer groaned, "Seriously? What are you two, children?"

"It's saves money to get one bed. Juvia doesn't see why there's a problem with it. Gajeel and Juvia have shared a bed together on jobs before."

"I thought I told you to never bring that up!" He hissed and Juvia smirked at how flustered he got. "And anyways, that's different."

"How?"

"Because you weren't in love with me."

"Juvia isn't in love with Gray-sama either."

"That's not what everyone else thinks." Juvia just shrugged in response. Gajeel rolled his eyes, "He ain't gonna like this."

Juvia frowned in confusion, "What...?"

Gajeel nodded his head to a table at the other side of the hall where Natsu, Happy, Wendy, and Lucy were sitting.

When it was clear that Juvia still didn't understand, Gajeel ran his hand down his face in agitation. "The fire-freak. He ain't gonna like Gray reeking of your scent. You two have been living in each other's damn pockets so much lately that when you come back from jobs together your scents are all over each other. And it's pissing that flame bastard off, has been for weeks now. It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so fucking pathetic."

"Natsu-san is upset that Gray-sama smells like Juvia," Juvia stated slowly, "because...Natsu-san likes the way Gray-sama smells...?"

Gajeel face palmed, "Because he doesn't like him to smell too much like someone else."

"And Natsu-san doesn't like that because...?"

"Because..." he made a frustrated 'go on' gesture, clearly unwilling to spell it out further for her.

Juvia didn't understand what Gajeel was getting at, wracked her mind for whatever on Earthland he could possibly be talking about, until the light finally clicked on.

' _Instinct'_ Gajeel had told her, that Gray had already ' _belonged'_ to someone else and suddenly it all made sense.

"Because Gray-sama is Natsu-san's mate!" She whispered in excitement, a huge grin breaking out on her face.

Gajeel didn't seem to share her enthusiasm, "Yeah, but don't go telling him. Those two dumbassess need to figure their shit out for themselves." The Dragon Slayer scowled, "Why do we keep ending up having these stupid, sappy-shit conversations?"

"Technically Gajeel is the one that brought it up."

She received a glare in return, "Tch, whatever. I gotta go tell Levy we're leaving and then let's head out."

Juvia stood with him but decided to go over and say hello to Lucy before having to leave again for the rest of the day. The constant string of jobs was fun, but it kept her from trying to spend more time with the celestial spirit mage, which she wasn't happy about.

When she sat down with her friends at the end of the table, Lucy turned to smile brightly at her before continuing her discussion with Wendy. Juvia was content to listen to them talk while she waited for Gajeel, but her tranquility was disrupted as soon as Natsu stood up to leave.

He was stopped in his tracks by Gray who had been heading in their direction. The ice mage stood rigid in front of him, glanced around once, and took a deep breath.

"Hey flame brain, I need to talk to you," he said so quietly the only reason Juvia heard it was because she was sitting right next to them. Lucy and Wendy were oblivious, caught up in their own conversation and the rest of the guild was so noisy there was no way they could listen in.

Juvia held back a shocked gasp and tried to be as discrete as possible in her staring. Was Gray actually going to _say something_ to Natsu? Just out of the blue like this?

Natsu didn't meet his eyes, "You're the last person I want to talk to right now, you stupid stripper."

Gray looked like he was going to back down for a moment, but he surprised Juvia again by pressing on, "Look, this is important, dumbass. It'll only take a second."

Natsu opened his mouth to respond, but it snapped shut again as Juvia watched him inhale deeply, eyes narrowing. The water mage almost flinched when his hard stare flashed at at her, but it was only a fleeting glance. Instead, he resumed glaring at Gray, expression getting more and more infuriated with each second that passed. Studying them closely, Juvia noticed the way Gray's posture was rapidly getting so tense she thought he might snap and how Natsu's hands were suddenly clenched into tight, shaking fists. What the hell was going on?

 _'He ain't gonna like Gray reeking of your scent._ _He doesn't like him to smell too much like someone else.'_

 _'Juvia isn't in love with Gray-sama.' 'That's not what everyone else thinks.'_

A heavy feeling settled in Juvia's gut as she sat frozen, only able to watch as the conversation quickly continued to derail.

The fire mage's lips formed a firm line and he finally muttered, "Just leave me alone. I'm going home."

Juvia saw concern break through Gray's mask of feigned indifference. As Natsu turned to leave Gray gently grabbed his wrist, "Wait, Natsu. What's going-"

Natsu whirled around and punched him in the face.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Gray demanded, holding his cheek where there would likely be a bruise tomorrow.

"You're my problem!" Natsu snarled back. He swung again but Gray dodged and returned the hit.

No one else seemed to even notice the fight breaking out, seeing as Natsu and Gray laying into each other was hardly new, but Juvia was paying extra close attention because this was _wrong_.

She'd never felt this much negative energy when they'd fought in the past. Half the time they were smiling as they threw insults back and forth and each punch or kick was to egg the other on more, almost like a ridiculous form of encouragement.

This wasn't like that.

There was so much agitation and nervousness in both of their eyes. And they were practically radiating fear, of what _exactly_ Juvia wasn't sure but it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"What the fuck did I do, asshole? I just want to talk! You do know how to do that, right?"

"I told you I don't want to deal with you right now, ice bastard!"

Juvia's palms were sweating. She glanced anxiously around in desperation, but the rest of guild remained ignorant to the rapidly increasing animosity between the two friends.

"I don't care! It's important!"

"I don't give a shit about what's important to you. Leave me the hell alone!"

Juvia watched as the scuffle continued for a few more agonizing moments before Gray seemed to lose steam. He blocked Natsu's kicks but wasn't hitting back while the fire mage's fight seemed to continue to grow exponentially. They weren't on the same page and that was scarier than anything.

"Natsu, this is stupid. I just need to-"

Gray was cut short when Natsu used a flaming fist to knock him hard enough to send him crashing against the table behind him, back cracking audibly against the wood. Lucy and Wendy both jumped to attention, their gasps echoing loudly in the suddenly silent hall.

"I said leave me the fuck alone! Just stay away from me!" Natsu roared, panting heavily. After a few seconds to calm down, he flinched, staring in horror at Gray sprawled out on the ground. Then he turned and sprinted out the door.

"Natsu, wait!" Happy called, glancing back at the scene in confusion before flying after Natsu.

"What the hell was that about?" someone whispered in bewilderment. Juvia rushed to Gray's side and helped pull him to his feet.

The ice mage stood silently, expression unreadable.

"Gray, are you alright?" Lucy stood on his other side and put her hand lightly on his arm.

"I'm fine, Luce," he stated with a carefully even tone. Juvia shared a knowing look with Lucy.

"But..."

"I'm fine," he repeated hoarsely, voice just barely quivering before he shrugged off their hands and walked out of the guild.

Lucy sighed, "I have no idea what just happened. Natsu's been acting a little weird around Gray since..." she paused, and Juvia didn't miss the way Lucy glanced at her and then quickly back to the door, "well...for a while now. He's been picking more fights and he seems...I don't know...I've never seen him lash out like that before, and it's really freaking me out. I'm worried about him."

Juvia touched Lucy's shoulder gently, "Don't worry, Lucy. Everything will be okay."

She hoped she was right.

* * *

When Juvia entered the guild hall the next day, neither Gray nor Natsu were anywhere to be seen.

"Good morning, Juvia!" Mira chirped as she approached the counter. "If you're looking for Gray, he's not here. He left for a job late last night. He asked me to tell you he'd be back in a few days."

Juvia nodded, deflating a little. She was hoping to talk to the ice mage and see how he was doing after the unfortunate run-in with Natsu yesterday. "Thank you, Mira." With nothing better to do, she grabbed her own job from the request board. No use just sitting around while she waited.

* * *

Juvia returned after only three days then refused to leave again, not wanting to miss Gray's return. Knowing him, she doubted he'd want to talk much about what happened, but the look of hurt and confusion he tried to hide when leaving the guild that day assured her that he could at least use her support.

It was on the ninth day that she began to worry.

Gray had told Mira that he'd be back in a few days and it had been longer than a week and there was still no sign of him. Juvia had half a mind to go looking for him herself, but their friendship relied on boundaries and she now knew the ice mage well enough to know that taking a job alone meant he really didn't want company. So she stayed put.

She was eating breakfast in the guild early that morning when Lucy stumbled in, bag in hand and clothes a bit disheveled. She wandered over to Juvia and plopped down with a moan. Juvia couldn't help giggling at the precious sight of a tired Lucy.

"Good morning, Lucy."

"Morning, Juvia."

"It's very early for Lucy to be at the guild."

"Tell me about it." Lucy rolled her eyes while trying to hide a yawn. "I'm meeting Natsu. We're supposed to go on a job this morning and for some reason he thinks that just because he gets up at sunrise, the rest of us should also be ready for adventure at the ass-crack of dawn. Although honestly, I'm just glad I didn't wake up to find him and Happy in my bed. Again." She shook her head in exasperation, "It's not like I'm not used to it by now, and the clinging to me like a koala bear all night wouldn't be so bad except it's like cuddling a freaking furnace." Lucy paused, studying Juvia closely as the haze of slumber began to retreat. She reached across the table to take her hand and Juvia allowed the way Lucy's thumb softly stroked her fingers to soothe her, if only for the moment. "Is everything okay? It's pretty early for you to be here, too. You seem pensive."

Juvia sighed, "Juvia couldn't sleep. She is worried about Gray-sama."

She was _sure_ she noticed something pained flash in Lucy's eyes, but it was gone before she even had time to question it.

The celestial spirit mage frowned, "I'm a little worried myself. The whole situation is really weird. Natsu's been really down since their fight. He looks miserable, and judging by the way Gray up and left town I'm guessing he's probably not doing much better."

"Juvia is worried they will be too obstinate to talk things out."

"Well that wouldn't surprise me," Lucy sighed. "I know you're worried, but don't you think you're getting a little overworked? It hasn't been _that_ long, has it?"

"Juvia can't help it; she just wants to protect the people who matter to her." She squeezed Lucy's hand and softly added, "She wants to protect Lucy, too."

"Juvia, about you and Gray...are you two tog-"

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu shouted while throwing open the door's with a bang and gallivanting into the hall. "Happy and I are good to-" Natsu glanced between the two girls as Lucy let out a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "Are you serious right now?" She growled.

"...what?"

"Didn't Igneel ever teach you not to interrupt people when they're in the middle of an important conversation?"

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What's so important about it?"

"Ugh! Never mind, let's just go. Bye Juvia. Try not to worry so much okay? I'm sure it will be fine."

For Lucy, and her own sanity, she would try.

* * *

Trying not to worry didn't work out so well.

By the fifteenth day, she was practically vibrating with anxiety. She only took day jobs, making sure she'd be back in Magnolia by nightfall. She started a new routine of going by Gray's flat on her way home from the guild and waiting, sometimes for hours, to see if he'd pop up. Every day she was met with disappointment.

It was on the thirty-third day, just over an entire month, and when she was seriously considering starting a search party, that Juvia's waiting finally paid off. It was already nightfall but for some reason she was still sitting on the steps in front of Gray's door. When she thought she heard distant footsteps, she looked up and spotted a lone figure in the darkness heading slowly towards her. She jumped up and rocked back and forth on her heels waiting impatiently for him to reach her.

It was a testament to her newfound self-control that she didn't run straight to him the second he was in sight.

Gray didn't even notice her while he dragged his feet and stared at the pavement. He was only a few feet from the steps when Juvia softly called his name and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Juvia...? What are you doing here?"

The water mage didn't answer him, instead taking a moment to examine her friend.

To anyone else's quick glance he might have passed as being fine, but Juvia had spent an abundance of time studying Gray closely enough to notice the things that screamed concern.

His eyes were bloodshot and dull with dark circles staining the skin underneath. Closer inspection showed slightly hollowed cheeks and too sharp collarbones, suggesting that he had been neglecting to eat properly, probably the whole time he was gone. There were a couple of shallow gashes across his chest that were barely covered with haphazard bandages, but mostly the ice mage just looked drained, like his spirit was vacant in his stare.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not too long," she lied easily. "Juvia was worried. Gray-sama has been gone a long time."

He winced, "Yeah, sorry about that. I know I said I'd only be a couple days but..."

Juvia smiled up at him before taking his key from his shaky hand. Once the door was unlocked she ushered him into the house. "It's okay. Juvia is just glad Gray-sama is alright. Can Juvia get you anything?"

He shrugged, "Nah. I think I'm just gonna head to bed."

The water mage nodded, "Well goodnight then. Juvia will see you at the guild tomorrow?" she went to leave but was stopped by a hand tugging on her wrist. "Gray-sama?" When she looked back at him, his eyes were hidden by his hair and his voice was so quiet she barely heard him speak.

"Could you...will you stay? Please?" The hand holding onto her was trembling. "I don't...I don't want to be alone."

Juvia felt her heart break and tears well up in her eyes. "Of course," she murmured gently, lacing their fingers together, "of course Juvia will stay." When he didn't make any attempt to move, she pulled him slowly towards his bedroom. Once he had collapsed bonelessly onto the bed she slipped in next to him and waited. Juvia had learned the hard way that Gray could be a pretty tactile person but usually it was only if he was the one to initiate the contact, and sure enough, a few minutes later he curled up against her, the chill of his skin comforting in familiarity. She held him close and ran her fingers though his hair until the arms around her waist were no long quaking and the damp spot on her shoulder had all but dried up.

* * *

The bed was empty when she woke up, but there was a note left on the bedside table for her.

 _Out for a walk. Be back later._

 _Thank you for staying._

 _-Gray_

Figuring he needed a bit more time to get his head on straight, she went home, got herself ready, and headed to the guild. The sun was shining and cheerful people greeted her as they passed by, but Juvia's mind was elsewhere. Gray was finally home, but it was clear that even after his time alone he was still struggling with what happened with Natsu. The water mage was distraught and the worry for her friend was pressing down on her heart like a ton of bricks. Maybe it was the past weeks of anxiety that had her nearly hysterical as she walked through the guild's doors that afternoon or maybe it was something else, but regardless, she was already a tad unhinged when she arrived. And when she laid eyes on the table where Natsu and his remaining team members were sitting her panic rapidly escalated into fury because all she could think of was Gray's too-thin waist in her arms and the bags under his eyes and the most heart-breaking look of despair he was too tired to conceal as he begged her to stay.

She was in a rage as she stomped over, slamming her hands down on the table and making the occupants jump in surprise.

"Juvia!" Erza bit out sharply, "Calm yourself. What's the matter?"

Juvia ignored the requip mage and instead leaned down until she was glaring into the startled eyes of one Natsu Dragneel.

"Natsu-san," she said through a tight smile, "Juvia needs to speak with you outside. Alone. Now."

The fire mage looked taken aback, "Why the hell do you need-"

"Right NOW!" she snarled. Natsu scrambled to his feet and followed nervously behind Juvia towards the door, leaving his flabbergasted teammates to watch him go.

Juvia led him into a nearby alley before turning to face him. If she wasn't fuming, the look of alarm on his face would've probably been hilarious. As it stood, she was too annoyed to appreciate the fact that probably for the first time ever the Fire Dragon Slayer appeared to be truly afraid of her.

"Uh..." he tugged apprehensively at his scarf, "what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Natsu's eyes were shadowed with exhaustion and his skin looked a bit too pale for his normal complexion.

Lucy had been right: he was doing just as bad as Gray, which only served to strengthen Juvia's resolve.

"Juvia wants to know why you hurt Gray-sama."

She watched with an odd sense of momentary detachment as the remaining color drained out of his face, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. Natsu-san hurt Gray-sama and Juvia wants to know why!"

Natsu shifted back and forth nervously, "Look, if this is about the other day...I didn't mean to lash out like that, I just...had something on my mind and I got carried away. Besides, we've hit each other a lot worse than that before. I'm sure popsicle's fine."

"Juvia knows that he is not."

If she didn't have his attention before, she certainly did now, "What do you mean?"

She glared at him, "After your fight Gray-sama took a job and was gone for the last few weeks. When he came home last night, he was still a mess. Gray-sama was supposed to be gone a few days. He was gone _thirty-three._ "

"So? Ice block always goes on long solo jobs when he's really upse-oh."

Natsu frowned and crossed his arms. The water mage saw concern flicker in his eyes before quickly being replaced by a poor attempt at nonchalance. He scoffed, "I'm sure he'll be okay, Juvia."

Juvia rolled her eyes in agitation thinking, not for the first time, how undeniably stupid stubborn boys could be. She released a frustrated sigh and let silence encompass them for a moment, wondering what she could do to help make this better.

"Does Natsu-san know that Gray-sama makes the best tea?" She said suddenly, throwing the Dragon Slayer for a loop.

"Uh...no? It's not like we've ever sat around having tea parties together and playing with dolls. What does that have to-"

"Gray-sama makes the best tea," she reiterated, completely ignoring Natsu's inquiry, "and even though he gets overheated easily, he sleeps under a pile of blankets. Gray-sama has terrible nightmares, but the only way you can tell is by looking at his face because he stays so still through them. He never tells anyone because he thinks it's silly, but sometimes Juvia will catch him sitting with Levy-chan and talking about whatever book she has out because he loves to read. Gray-sama sneaks off once a month to visit Lyon-san because he loves his brother even after everything that's happened between them. Gray-sama never takes off his necklace even when he loses his clothes."

"What is this, some kind of creepy, ice block trivia game? Why are you telling me all this? I get it, you're _obsessed_ with Gray," Natsu grumbled, "Everyone knows you're in love with him, so that's not really news. And I still don't get what any of that has to do with me."

Juvia bristled at the 'obsessed' comment, but let it slide. Looking back even she could admit that she had handled her feelings for Gray poorly, but now wasn't the time to fret over that, so she forcefully plowed on.

"Because Juvia wants to know if Natsu-san knows these things, too!" she demanded shrilly. "Juvia wants to know if Natsu-san knows what Gray-sama's favorite color is or where he goes when he needs to be alone. Does Natsu-san know that when Gray-sama is stressed he forgets to eat? That Gray-sama will sing quiet songs in Isvan's old language when he thinks no one is around to hear? That he loves his Fairy Tail family more than anything and is afraid of losing them like he lost his other families?" she stopped to catch her breath and then added softly, "That his eyes light up whenever Natsu-san walks into the room?"

"Juvia..."

"Juvia knows these things, not because she is _obsessed_ , but because she loves him deeply and he has become her best, _best_ friend. Gray-sama is so, so precious and Juvia wonders if Natsu-san agrees. Juvia needs to know if Natsu-san cares about all these little things because she needs to know if he also loves Gray-sama and cares about knowing him inside and out," she broke off, rambling colored with an edge of hysteria, "Gray-sama loves Natsu-san; you are his most special person. He was really shaken when Natsu-san told him to stay away from him that day at the guild. He isn't acting like himself, and Juvia is worried. Juvia wants Natsu-san to know that, to fix it. But above all, Juvia wants Gray-sama to be happy and Natsu-san makes him happier than anything. She needs Natsu-san to know that if he hurts Gray-sama again or makes fun of his feelings, he will have to answer to Juvia and it will _not_ be pretty."

Finally finished with her messy rant, Juvia took a deep breath and nodded once in satisfaction of having said her piece. Anger and anxiety diminishing to a tolerable level again, she abruptly turned on her heel to go but didn't manage to get far before she was interrupted.

"Blue."

She stopped mid-step and turned curiously back to the oddly soft-spoken fire mage.

"Huh?"

"Gray's favorite color is blue," Natsu clarified, stopping to clear his throat awkwardly, "I know because I asked him when we were kids and when he told me, I said it was dumb that his favorite color wasn't gray since that was his name. And then he punched me in the face.

"There's a stream near a clearing in the eastern forest. That's where he goes when he needs to brood. I also know that Gray makes these tiny ice sculptures in his hands when he's restless because it keeps him from getting twitchy. He can stay up until all odd hours of the night, but unless he's had coffee in the morning, he's totally useless until after 10:00am. Even if he's being a reckless idiot his molding is still clean cut and sharp. He's actually kind of a neat freak in general. Gray's the most fun to spar with because I fight full strength with my punches and without easing up on my magic because I know he's strong enough to take it and he'll hit back just as hard. But don't tell anyone I said that, or I'll never hear the end of it. And it's not often, but when he's absolutely fucking exhausted he'll say his vowels funny because he still hasn't completely shaken the accent from his hometown, even after living in Fiore for a decade. I know that he's caring and protective and he loves us and is loved by the whole guild but isn't always sure if he deserves it, because he's a self-sacrificing moron that doesn't know his own worth."

"Natsu-san..." Juvia beamed.

He finally looked up from the ground and met her eyes with a flare of determination, "Gray's been my best friend for more time in my life than he hasn't. Of course I know all the weird little things about him. I may not be the most observant person all the time, but it's impossible for me to _not_ pay attention to Gray." He flushed deeply before mumbling, "Stupid ice-for-brains idiot...he's my whole world."

Juvia was grinning so wide she thought her face would surely split. She hid a giggle behind her hand and for the first time since the boys' confrontation she felt like things might possibly turn out how she hoped.

"Juvia is happy to hear that. Very, very happy. Thank you for speaking with Juvia, Natsu-san."

"Wait, Juvia!"

"Juvia knows," she smirked and gave him a wink, "Juvia won't tell Gray-sama. But Natsu-san should."

And with that, she left the Dragon Slayer alone in the alleyway with his thoughts.

As she walked back towards the guild, she felt a pang of guilt in her heart for betraying Gray's trust by exposing his secret affections to Natsu. But if those dumb boys weren't going to clean up their mess, Juvia would just have to help do it for them.

' _Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama...but it's for your own good.'_

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! :)**


	3. Declarations

**A/N: Finally we've reached the 3rd and final chapter! Woo!**

 **This story has been so fun to write, and I appreciate all of your positive feedback!**

 **I have been working on a companion piece to this story that switches between Natsu and Gray's POV during their side of what's going on, as well as a handful of other things that branch off of this because we all know by now I have limited self-control, so hopefully I'll be posting something new in this verse shortly.**

 **But for now, here's the last installment. I hope you enjoy! :)**

 **[Also a quick heads up - this chapter involves a sex scene, so if that's not your cup of tea feel free to duck out. That being said, it's short and far from explicit, but you have been warned! It's also my first time writing anything of that nature so please try to be nice ;)]**

* * *

 _Chapter 3: Declarations_

 _[In which Natsu makes another scene in the middle of the guild, Mirajane plays dirty, and everything finally falls into place._

* * *

When Juvia walked back into the guild after her intervention with Natsu she headed straight to Mirajane, ignoring the few of odd stares she was receiving from guild mates as she walked by.

"Hi Juvia," Mira greeted, "I heard you were having a discussion with Natsu. He's still among the living, right?" She winked and Juvia giggled.

"More or less. Juvia just had some things she needed to address. She and Natsu-san have reached an understanding."

"Well that's good to hear. Erza was a little worried he wasn't going to make it back in one piece," she handed Juvia a glass of water, "And Gray? Have you heard from him?"

Juvia wilted a little, "Yes, Gray-sama got home last night. He is not well."

Mira sighed, "I figured he wouldn't be."

Juvia released her own sigh and nodded, "Juvia's happy he's home, but she's unsettled by his state of being. It was why she decided to speak to Natsu-san today. But Mira...Juvia did something bad."

The barmaid frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Juvia..." the water mage looked away in shame, "Juvia told Natsu-san about Gray-sama's feelings for him."

"Oh, is that all?" Juvia eyed Mira quizzically and nodded. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, hon."

"Why not?"

"Because I already told him."

Juvia gasped in shock, "Mira! When?"

The take-over mage shrugged while she filled some drink orders, seeming completely at ease with the fact that they had spilled one of their friend's biggest secrets to the last person he would want to know. "Maybe a week ago? He was sitting here with Gajeel...honestly now that I think about it, Gajeel was the one who mentioned it in the first place."

Juvia rolled her eyes, ' _So much for not wanting to talk about 'sappy shit' or caring about anyone else's love life._ '

"Anyways, Natsu seemed really down and worried about Gray, but he was so caught up in thinking that you and Gray were together that he didn't know what to do. So I told him the truth. Although I'm sure it meant more coming from you, seeing as you're the one he seems to think Gray is in love with."

Juvia groaned, "Juvia hopes that that has been cleared up after her conversation with Natsu-san today."

"That makes two of us." Mira put down the pitcher she was holding and leveled the water mage with a serious look. "Listen Juvia, I try not to meddle in other people's love lives _too_ much, but sometimes you just have to give someone a little push. Or in this case a huge one No, maybe breaking the promise you made to Gray to keep his feelings a secret doesn't feel like the right thing to do, but it needed to be done. We've been trying to wear him down for months now, and after what happened you and I both know there's no way he'll ever try to bring it up again. So it has to be Natsu, there isn't any other way. And if telling him point blank that you two aren't together because Gray's in love with him is what has to be said, then it has to be said." She returned to her task, occasionally pausing to grab a new glass from the shelf behind her. "Don't get me wrong, I love those two like little brothers, but they are so dense when it comes to their feelings for each other it's a train wreck. Somebody had to intervene or they'd just keep walking in circles around each other and being miserable for the rest of their lives.

"Speaking of which, have you said anything to Lucy yet?"

"No...Juvia is scared," Juvia admitted while staring glumly at the counter.

"I think that's only natural, sweetie. Sharing those kinds of feelings is enough to scare anyone."

"Even Mira?"

Mira laughed, "Of course."

The water mage perked up, "Really? How did Mira and Erza-san get together?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"Juvia has time."

Mirajane laughed again, "Alright then. Well, Gray was right when he said that Erza and I used to fight just as much, or maybe even more than him and Natsu when we were growing up. I brought a lot of...baggage with me when my siblings and I came to Fairy Tail and eventually it turned from sadness to agitation and I was very angry, at myself, at the rest of the world...and then I met Erza and she seemed so perfect and strong and put together that it infuriated me." Mira smiled brightly and Juvia found it difficult to believe that she could have ever been malicious to anyone.

"So we got in fights constantly, but then when Lisanna-" the take-over mage paused again, swallowing hard and glancing over to her sister who was playing cards with Bickslow at the other end of the hall, "When we _thought_ Liana died, everything changed. _I_ changed. I stopped wanting to use my magic, stopped fighting...I felt so lost. And one day out of nowhere, Erza found me by Lisanna's grave. She walked right up to me and challenged me to a duel. I was _livid_. How could she be so insensitive? Didn't she know I was grieving? So I went crazy with rage and we knocked each other around for a good long time.

"When we finally wore ourselves out, I just collapsed. Instead of making fun of me like I thought she would, she just hugged me and said, 'There, do you feel better?' And I did. I realized she wasn't being insensitive at all; she was giving me an outlet for all the anger at guilt I'd been burying inside myself. And after that everything was different."

Juvia's heart swelled when she watched a content, wistful smile cross Mirajane's face. It was the same one Gray wore when he spoke of his fondness for Natsu. Juvia wondered if that's the look she had as well whenever she thought of Lucy.

"We didn't get together until quite a while later, but after that day we started talking more. I still wasn't ready to go on jobs or really use my magic properly, but she supported me through everything. I got to learn a lot about her and the more time we spent together the more I fell for her. All the things that pissed me off about her when I was younger suddenly seemed so perfect and amazing.

"I was trying to be brave when I told her how I felt. I was scared, too. I know where you guys are coming from when you say you are nervous to share your feelings. It's frightening to put yourself out there in that way, especially in front of the person who means the most to you. But I convinced myself that I was going to tell her, and if it ended poorly then to hell with it, at least I tried," she laughed. "So I took her to dinner one night and sat her down and said, 'Erza, I think I'm in love with you.'"

"And what did she say?"

"Well at first she didn't say anything. She just stared at me and I was positive I had made a mistake. But before I could abandon ship, she reached across the table and grabbed my hand. And then she said, 'Mira, I share your feelings, and should you allow it, I would like to date you.'" She broke off giggling again, "It was such an Erza way of saying it I just burst into laughter. When I walked her back to the dorms that night, she asked if she could kiss me at the gate and I knew I had made the right decision in telling her. And we've been together ever since."

"Juvia thinks that's beautiful."

"Mirajane, are you telling stories again?"

Both girls turned to see Erza approaching the bar.

"Only my favorite one, sweetie."

Erza rolled her eyes, but her smile was filled with blatant affection. "I'm heading out on a job for the rest of the afternoon. I'll be back tonight, alright?" She handed Mira the flyer and leaned over the counter to press a chaste kiss to the other girl's lips before nodding to Juvia and heading towards the door.

Mira beamed at the requip mage as she departed, then turned back to Juvia. "Alright, well now that story time is over, why don't you go find that stupid boy of ours and make sure he's not off being self-destructive, hmm? Maybe with a little help we can get those two to work things out. They're both pretty slow with this stuff, but I think there's still hope for them. Tomorrow's a new day, after all." She came out from around the bar, carrying a tray in one hand and then squeezed Juvia's shoulder with the other. "Oh, and Juvia?"

"Yes Mira?"

"Tell Lucy how you feel. Don't wait so long that _you_ need an intervention." She winked and turned to leave.

The water mage's eyes widened and her face turned bright red, "Juvia thought Mira said she didn't meddle in others' love lives too much!"

"I said I _try_ not to!" She called over her shoulder, flashing a grin at Juvia while heading to deliver drinks.

Juvia shook her head before putting it down on the table-top, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. Her family was insane.

But they were hers, and she wouldn't give them up for the world.

* * *

When Juvia walked into Gray's apartment later that night, he was already in bed waiting for her. He looked exhausted still, but the relief at her presence was plain on his face. She climbed in next to him and took his hand in hers, offering a gentle smile.

Neither of them said anything.

They didn't have to.

* * *

It wasn't until the next day that Gray surfaced at the guild. He was still looking worse for wear, but no one dared to say anything to him about it after seeing the glare Juvia was shooting them from beside him every time someone looked like they might open their mouth.

But she tuned out the rest of her guild mates in favor of joining Gray at the bar where he was standing, talking quietly with Mira.

"So Gray," she said, "have you talked to Natsu since you've been back?"

Juvia winced, thinking maybe they should have let the issue go until he was a little more stable, but as usual Mirajane was not about tip-toeing around the problem at hand.

Surprisingly, Gray managed to pull off looking unperturbed by the mention of his rival, even if both girls knew it was just a front. "No, I haven't and I don't care to."

Juvia sighed heavily, "Juvia knows it's not what Gray-sama wants to hear, but she thinks he and Natsu-san need to talk."

The ice mage shot her an annoyed look which she returned with equal exasperation.

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'd rather just punch his lights out and move on with my life."

"Someone's being quite childish today, aren't they?" Mira sang, happily choosing to ignore the glare Gray was sending her way. "Just go find him and try to have an actual conversation with each other. Talking won't kill you."

"It might," Gray grumbled under his breath.

Juvia rolled her eyes affectionately and found herself wondering how she ended up with the two most emotionally-challenged boys in all of Earthland as her best friends.

"You're exaggerating, we're not that bad," Gray responded and Juvia realized she had been thinking out loud. "And don't lump me in with bolts-for-brains."

"I don't know, Gray," Mira added, "at least Gajeel finally told Levy how he felt about her. I'd say he's got you beat," she winked playfully. Gray groaned and took a huge swig of his beer in lieu of coming up with a retort.

"Don't worry," Juvia replied as she and Mira tried to stifle their giggles, "Juvia still loves Gray-sama, even if he is hopeless when it comes to romance."

"Says the one who came to _me_ for relationship advice..." he grumbled. Juvia grinned and went to hug him before pausing.

"Gray-sama, where did your shirt go?"

He looked down and rolled his eyes, "Aw, hell."

Juvia just shook her head. She looped her arms around Gray's bare waist and felt him wrap an arm around her in return, despite his halfhearted protests.

"It's okay, Gray-sama! Juvia and Mirajane will help you find your clothes _and_ practice your love confession!"

Gray looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Yeah fucking right you will," he snapped and the girls broke out into another fit of laughter, exchanging grins.

"Just get very close like this," the water mage turned him in her embrace so they were pressed against one another, faces only inches apart, "look in his eyes, and say, 'I love you.'" He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with their antics but Juvia pressed on, "Say it! After Juvia: 'I love you.'"

Gray stared at her flatly, "I love you."

"And..."

"And...?"

"And I want to have your tiny dragon babies!" Mira whispered to him.

"Oh for fucks sake, Mira!" The ice mage griped and threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know why I bother; there's just no winning with you two." He glanced behind them, making sure no one else around picked up on their topic of conversation before hissing, "Keep your weird matchmaking to yourselves."

The take-over mage smiled innocently back at him and Juvia buried her face against Gray's cool shoulder while she shook with laughter.

"Okay, so maybe don't say that," Mira snickered, "but up until then you were doing great! You can do this."

Gray looked away, idly running a hand through the ends of Juvia's hair and mumbled softly, "I think he made his feelings about me pretty clear."

Mira sobered, "Gray, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. Besides, you deserve to tell him how you feel, don't you think?"

"No Mira, I don't," the ice mage snapped. "And there's no way in hell I'd ever say any of that stupid shit to-"

"Natsu?"

The three friends went silent at Erza's call and looked to the front of the guild where everyone's attention was suddenly focused.

Natsu stood in the entryway, seemingly unharmed but twitchy and glancing around desperately for something in the sea of his guild mates. Erza frowned, taking a step closer to him, "Natsu, are you alright? What's going on?" She demanded, but it didn't look like he even registered her voice in the midst of his frantic searching. He took a few steps forward, unaware of every eye on him, until he looked towards the bar. Juvia watched curiously as his entire demeanor shifted the second his sight zeroed in on them.

The Dragon Slayer's body went rigid and his eyes narrowed dangerously as they looked from Gray to Juvia and back again. She felt Gray tense in her arms while Natsu stalked forward until he stood just a few feet in front of them. Something wild and feral flared in the fire mage's eyes when he noticed the way Juvia was wrapped around Gray and Juvia jumped when Natsu barred his fangs at her and let out a low growl.

"Juvia!" Gajeel hissed from somewhere nearby, "You need to let go of Gray and slowly step away from him."

The water mage obeyed his instructions and released her hold on her friend and started to shift off to the side. She must have done so a little too quickly because Natsu turned to step towards her, growl increasing in volume, but he was stopped in his path when Gray immediately moved to stand between them.

"What's gotten into you, flame brain?" he demanded sharply, but Juvia could tell by the way his voice wavered that he was worried about his friend's odd behavior.

Natsu turned his attention back to the ice mage, growl turning into a whine in the back of his throat. Juvia watched from the sidelines as the two friends stared each other down, no one in the guild daring to breathe. The Dragon Slayer wrapped one arm around Gray's waist, swiftly pulling him in until they were right against each other.

"N-natsu...?" Gray stuttered. After a moment of studying his friend's face, Natsu nodded to himself before cupping Gray's cheek with his unoccupied hand and pressing their lips together.

The ice mage went stiff with shock for a moment before giving in and relaxing a little into Natsu's embrace.

When the Dragon Slayer pulled back a moment later to look at Gray, his eyes were wide and clear and his face went red.

"Uh...hey Gray," he greeted awkwardly all while continuing to hold the ice mage flush against him, faces mere inches apart. "Can we talk?"

Gray stared at him incredulously, "You didn't think to do that before making a scene in front of the whole guild?

"Umm...no?"

Juvia could see Gray still shaking in a state of bewilderment, but despite his uncertainty he rolled his eyes and gave Natsu a small smile.

"Fine. Come on, ash-for-brains, let's go."

Natsu untangled himself from the embrace, only to grab Gray's hand as the ice mage led him out of the guild.

Juvia felt a grin breaking out on her face as she watched the two leave because she felt triumphant. Who would have thought that she'd reach the point of being overjoyed at seeing _someone else_ kissing Gray Fullbuster? If anyone had told her that a year ago she would have tried to put them in an infinite water lock.

She really had come a long way since then, and Juvia was proud.

She let out a giggle and turned back to Mira who was also smiling gleefully. The sound of the high five they gave each other across the counter and their laughter rang out in the wake of everyone's stunned silence, followed shortly by Gajeel muttering, "Tch. About time. Idiots."

Eventually the shock wore off a little and people returned to their own conversations, although they seemed to mostly revolve around the unimaginable display they had all just witnessed.

"Well that was an interesting start to my day," Lucy said to Juvia as she sat down next to her at the bar. "Who knew those two would ever _actually_ get their shit together? I was honestly getting worried that Natsu was going to take his feelings to the grave with him." Her look of thoughtfulness quickly changed to apprehension when she realized who she was talking to. "Juvia! Juvia, I'm so sorry."

The water mage cocked her head to the side in obvious confusion, "Why?"

Lucy's face flushed and she looked at the ground, "Oh, well...you know...because you and Gray...I know you care for him and now he's-"

Juvia laid a hand on Lucy's and smiled, "It's okay, Lucy. Juvia and Gray-sama are just friends. Juvia is very happy for Gray-sama and Natsu-san."

"You...you are? But I thought..."

"Juvia and Gray-sama are _friends_ ," she repeated, smile growing at how right the words felt on her tongue.

"Good," Lucy sighed in relief before blushing again, "Wait no, that came out wrong...I didn't mean-ugh." She put her head down on the bar. Juvia turned to Mirajane who just shrugged.

"Ugh," Lucy whined again a minute later, voice slightly muffled by the wood. "And of course Natsu decided to pick today to suddenly have a love life and run off and bail on our job. My landlady's going to have a fit."

"Say, Lucy," Mira said casually, "Juvia's not going a job with Gajeel today and Gray is obviously a little...preoccupied...so why don't you two take one together?" Juvia looked at the barmaid in horror and only received a playful wink in response.

Okay, maybe Gray was right about the matchmaking.

Lucy lifted her head off the counter, "That's a great idea! Let's do it, Juvia! Will you take a job with me?"

The water mage felt her anxiety fading away from the light of Lucy's sparkling smile and she managed a shy, "Of course, Lucy. Juvia would love to."

The blonde hopped up from her seat with a sudden sense of enthusiasm, "Well come on then! Let's go pick one!" And with that she laced Juvia's fingers with hers and dragged her over to the request board, giving Juvia only a second to shoot Mira a worried look to which she just received an innocent smile and a shooing hand motion.

They ended up picking a fairly easy job of helping an elderly woman sort through and tidy up a house full of magical artifacts. It was something trivial and mundane because Lucy was thrilled at the thought of going on a job that didn't involve destroying a whole village for once. The girls took the overnight train to reach the house on the edge of a small town by midmorning the next day. The old woman that greeted them was sweet. She showed them into the house and they immediately got to work.

It was no surprise she requested help, the house was a disaster. There were boxes overflowing with fragile antiques, stacks of old tomes piled so high they practically touched the ceiling, and hundreds other miscellaneous relics lining the floors and shelves and furniture.

Juvia stared at the space in open astonishment, but Lucy didn't even bat an eye.

"This is nothing," she said as she pulled up her sleeves to get working, "you should see Natsu and Happy's house. I've been there a million times and I _still_ don't know what the floor looks like."

They must have worked for days, but Juvia was so hyper focused on her partner that she barely even processed the time passing. She just went through the motions of completing the task properly while sneaking glances at the beautiful woman in front of her, listening each time that Lucy squealed over an old book she uncovered and watching the way she grinned and wiped the sweat off her brow when they managed to work through another room.

It was the night of, what Lucy had declared to be, the fourth day of their job and Juvia was laying out her bedroll in the newly cleaned living room when Lucy rushed in. "Juvia! Look what I found!"

Juvia tilted her head curiously when Lucy presented her with an odd looking sphere. "A lamp...?"

The other girl laughed, "Sort of. Here, I'll show you." She made quick work of setting up her own blankets before fiddling with a lacrima and adjusting it carefully inside the globe, then she switched off the rest of the lights. For a moment there was only darkness, but then Juvia heard a 'click' and suddenly the whole room was bathed in dark blue light. When she looked closer, the water mage realized that the lamp was actually a projection of the night sky, stars settling onto the ceiling and walls.

"Normally you can't see all the stars at one time," Lucy said, "but if you look, this projector is designed to constantly rotate the same way the earth does, so you get to look at all the constellations."

"It's beautiful, Lucy," Juvia whispered.

"My mom was a celestial spirit mage too," Lucy murmured. "When I was really young, she'd lay in our yard with me and teach me the names of all the constellations. Everyone always thought it was so ridiculous because she was supposed to be this proper, no-nonsense lady, but she'd carry me back to the house late at night with dirt and grass stains on her skirts, twigs in her hair. I always thought that was when she looked the most beautiful. But then when she got sick..." she paused for a moment and sighed. Juvia reached for her hand and squeezed it. "When she got sick she couldn't really leave her bed. So we set up a projector like this one and I'd lay in bed with her at night so we could still watch the stars together.

"I spent years falling asleep under that lamp after she passed away. I'm not sure what happened to it after I left home; I didn't really take much with me. But whenever I look at the stars at night, it's like I can see her up there...and I feel like she's still with me."

Juvia tried to keep herself from crying, unsure what to say in the wake of such an intimate moment between them.

"Will you teach Juvia?" She blurted suddenly.

Lucy looked at her in confusion, "Huh?"

The water mage felt her face flush, "Will you teach Juvia the stars."

The celestial spirit mage's eyes filled with tears and she beamed at Juvia like the water mage had just lit up her whole world. "I'd love to," she whispered. She rolled over onto her back and started pointing out clusters of stars, tracing the lines to connect them and explaining each name and character of the constellation they made up. When she got to the zodiac constellations, she started to tell Juvia about all her spirits, of the keys she had, how they'd come to her. Juvia giggled along with Lucy as she shared stories of their crazy antics and bizarre personalities and how much she loved them, how much help and support they'd been to her throughout all her adventures in Fairy Tail.

Juvia listened to the sweet sound of Lucy's voice until it finally lulled her to sleep, a soft smile on her face and the other mage's hand in hers.

* * *

They completed their job by late afternoon the next day. The old woman they helped was so grateful that she gave them their full payment but also insisted on putting them up at an inn a few towns over as a thank you so they didn't have to take an overnight train all the way back to Magnolia.

Which is how Juvia found herself alone in a fancy room with Lucy and one giant bed to share between them.

Lucy took no time in kicking off her shoes and flopping down onto the soft mattress, letting out a happy sigh that had Juvia's heart fluttering in her chest. "This is amazing. I can't believe how sweet that lady was! Jewel and a comfy bed for the night? Yes please." She turned to Juvia in blissful contentment, "Aren't you tired? Come to bed." She patted the spot next to her and grinned.

"Juvia needs to...wash her face first!" Juvia stuttered before beelining to the bathroom and closing the door. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath, "Juvia will be fine. Juvia can sleep in a bed with Lucy. Under the same blanket as Lucy and maybe up against Lucy and touching Lucy's skin and soft hair and..." she groaned and covered her face with her hands, "Juvia is hopeless!" She shook her head fitfully before taking another deep breath and gathering her wits. Her resolve to clamp down on her feelings was shattered when she walked back into the bedroom to find Lucy climbing under the covers in nothing but her undergarments. The water mage stared, face rapidly heating up.

The celestial spirit mage blinked at her curiously before looking startled, "Oh, I'm sorry! Am I making you uncomfortable? My pajamas have totally been coated in dust from the house, so I didn't want to put them back on without washing them first. But I can throw my clothes for tomorrow on if you want!"

"It's okay, Lucy," Juvia's attempt at reassurance was lost a bit when she had to break in the middle of her sentence to clear the sudden thickness in her throat. "Juvia doesn't mind at all."

The blonde exhaled in relief, "Oh okay, good." Her smile returned while she watched Juvia hesitate for a moment before slowly pulling off her own dress and sliding carefully into bed next to her. "This was really fun, Juvia. We should take jobs together more often." She covered a yawn with her hand. "Well, goodnight then. Oh wait here, let me grab the light." Lucy propped herself up on one elbow and stretched across Juvia's side of the bed to switch the lamp off. Juvia felt her cheeks igniting when Lucy's breasts and bare stomach pressed against her front. The feeling brought her back to the dream she had what seemed like ages ago, which did nothing to help the way her heart was pounding a symphony in her chest.

Lucy also seemed to notice their positions if the color of her face was anything to go by. However she made no move to back away, instead choosing to study Juvia's eyes. The water mage felt apprehensive and tried desperately to regulate her breathing. But before she could even begin to process this terrifying and delightful situation, there were soft, sweet lips pressed against her own. The kiss was chaste, nothing like the one in her dream, but that was okay because it was _real_ and when Lucy pulled back just enough to feel out Juvia's reaction, her eyes were radiant and the flush of her cheeks bloomed like roses.

"I'm sorry, Juvia. I should have asked first," Lucy whispered, but the quirk of her lips said that she wasn't really sorry at all. "You're just so beautiful, and I've wanted to kiss you for such a long time..." she trailed off but leaned in closer, "You know Natsu wasn't the only one who was jealous watching you and Gray hang off of each other at the guild the other day," she whispered in Juvia's ear and Juvia felt shivers run down her spine. Lucy pulled back just a little and grinned, "Would it be okay if I kissed you again?"

Words catching in the back of her throat, Juvia could only nod, but this time when Lucy leaned down to capture her lips the water mage tilted her face up to meet her.

Lucy hummed blissfully into the kiss and Juvia felt as though all the shattered pieces of herself slotted back into place as Lucy's mouth slotted wet and hot against her own. The blonde carefully pulled her leg over so she was properly on top of Juvia, body pressed against her like it belonged there. Lucy's skin was warm, so warm and so smooth and Juvia felt like she must be dreaming again because surely there was no creature on earth as breathtaking as Lucy Heartfilia and yet here she was, lying with Juvia and murmuring precious nonsense against her lips.

Juvia had no experience with this kind of thing. She'd never been this intimate with another person before and her nerves almost won out until she felt Lucy's calming touch through her hair, on her cheek, across her hip bones, down her thigh. Lucy seemed more than happy to take the lead so Juvia let her, feeling safe and serene and secretly hoping to absorb some of the blonde's confidence.

There were giggles while hands fumbled nervously with bra clasps, lips bitten to the point of swelling, hushed whimpers and sweet sighs of contentment. And when Lucy finally slipped inside Juvia, her fingers were unbelievably gentle, touches delicate and hands holding her lovingly in the same way she held her cherished keys and Juvia had never felt anything so incredible.

As their kisses became more desperate, touches more needy Juvia surrendered any self doubt in favor of finding all the places that made Lucy shudder against her, skin heated with Juvia's name a broken plea on her lips. What she wouldn't give to hear Lucy say her name just like that for the rest of eternity.

And when it came to end, Juvia found herself tumbling over a cliff and falling straight into her partner's loving arms. She held tight and cried Lucy's name with reckless abandon, guided through the crashing waves by each one of the blonde's tender caresses. As Lucy pulled away her eyes were hazy and her smile was blinding and Juvia framed her beautiful face in her hands and pressed their lips together once more, desperately committing this moment to a memory she could keep until the end of time.

She pulled the blankets up around their naked bodies and quickly fell asleep with Lucy wrapped around her, heartbeat a steady rhythm against her skin.

* * *

When Juvia awoke the next morning, it took her a few moments to process where she was. And why on earth she was in a strange bed with no clothes on.

But everything came slamming back into her and the warm feeling she had the night before was replaced with cold dread. The water in the bathroom was running, so she guessed Lucy was already up and getting ready for the day. She wished she had been able to see her face when she woke up. Maybe then she would have a better idea of how much regret her friend had over their evening activities.

Juvia went to her pack and quickly threw on some clothes just as Lucy walked out of the bathroom. They made eye contact and immediately both looked away, faces blazing.

"Morning, Juiva," Lucy smiled but it was far too tight and tense. Juvia's heart sank.

"Good morning, Lucy," she replied solemnly. It was silent for the rest of the time that they packed their things and headed out of the inn.

The trip home was uncomfortable at best. Neither girl knew what to say to the other. Their conversations were shallow and forced. Juvia felt each painful second that passed by like a stab. Had she ruined everything between them? Lucy kissed her first, but was Juvia somehow pressuring her? Did she think it was just a one time thing? A mistake? Did she not have real feelings like Juvia did? Would she look at her now with nothing but awkwardness and thoughts of regret of their shared night together? The water mage was overwhelmed with unanswered questions but was far too terrified to dare to speak them aloud.

By the time they had reached Magnolia and trudged through the streets to the guild, night had already fallen and Juvia's mind was reeling with how to fix this before it was broken beyond repair.

"Hey Juvia?" Lucy stopped outside the guild's doors and turned to face her. "Can we...can we talk for a second?"

Lucy's eyes were a storm of emotions Juvia couldn't even begin to sift through. Her voice was quiet, hesitant, and severely lacking any of her usual confidence. And with that look Juvia felt her world crashing down around her as she realized that she couldn't do this. She couldn't risk Lucy telling her it was all a big mistake, that she never wanted Juvia that way because then it would all be real. There would be no more daydreaming of Lucy's sweet eyes or pretty smile. No hope for the chance to hold her close, to smell the scent of her shampoo in her locks of gold hair, to whisper secrets in her ear.

Juvia had lived in a daydream for what seemed like forever during her infatuation with Gray, denying any real world proof against their love and refusing to allow herself to dwell on questioning thoughts. She thought she had gotten over the silly desire to play make believe, but maybe she hadn't. Because she had done something real with Lucy, had something tangible and beautiful, something she could never take back. But now, when she stood awaiting her heart to be shattered, she wished more than anything that she could go back to her dreams of loving Lucy instead because at least she would never have to hear her friend reject her out loud. She wouldn't have those words spinning in her head forever.

They were outside and the night was cool but suddenly Juvia felt like she was being smothered. She took a shaky step backwards and stared at Lucy with frightened eyes, like a spooked animal ready to run.

"Juvia?"

"Juvia is sorry...Juvia must go!" She turned and bolted back down the street and away from the guild before Lucy had a chance to respond, tears spilling relentlessly down her cheeks. The water mage barely registered Lucy calling her name as she continued to sob, running down the stone streets and slipping further into the shadows.

* * *

With sobs subsided and her distressed mind on autopilot, Juvia found herself back where this whole thing had begun: knocking at the front door of Gray's flat in the dark of night.

However unlike the first time, when the door was flung open there wasn't a sleepy Gray on the other side. Instead Juvia came face-to-face with an agitated, pink-haired Dragon Slayer whose greeting consisted of narrowed eyes and a deep growl.

It probably would have been more intimidating if he was wearing more than just his scarf and a pair of bright red boxers while being wrapped in a fuzzy blue throw blanket.

"What do you want?" He demanded. Before Juvia had a chance to respond Natsu was being slapped upside the head and pushed out of the doorway by Gray.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you can't just be an asshole when you answer someone else's door." The ice mage rolled his eyes and turned to Juvia, quickly taking note of the obvious tear tracks on her face and the barely-there hiccup in her breaths. He smiled at her softly, "C'mon in, I'll get you some tea."

The water mage nodded, immediately feeling a bit better when comforted by the familiarity of what was now a routine part of their friendship. She stepped carefully into the living room and settled at her usual spot on the couch all while Natsu watched her like a hawk. Not a minute later Gray returned, handing her a steaming mug. He studied Natsu, amusement dancing in his eyes before putting his hand on the fire dragon's shoulder. "I'm just going to talk to Juvia for a bit, yeah? You're welcome to stay out here with us."

Natsu huffed, "No, you can have your girly gossip time or whatever. I'm going to raid your sorry excuse for a fridge." And with that, he turned and headed into the kitchen, but not before shooting Juvia a hard glare.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't mean anything by it. He's just being a little...possessive at the moment." He shrugged. "It's a Dragon Slayer thing."

Juvia just gave him a smile. She may not be mated to a Dragon Slayer, but she had certainly been best friends with one long enough to know the ins and outs of their odd behaviors. "Juvia understands. Natsu-san is just trying to protect his mate." She giggled when Gray's face turned red, obviously not yet used to hearing himself referred to as such.

"Yeah, I guess," he said with a small smile, absently reaching up to run his fingers over the place where his neck and shoulder met. That was when Juvia noticed the tiny puncture wounds at the base of Gray's neck. They matched the ones Levy wore proudly, the same as the marks carefully concealed by the collar of Freed's coat. When Gray figured out what she was staring at he moved his hand quickly, running it through his hair in embarrassment that only grew with the cheeky smile Juvia was giving him.

"Stop smiling like that. It's weird."

She laughed, "Juvia is just happy for Gray-sama."

The look of gratitude he gave her was flooring. "Thanks Juvia. It means a lot to me, it really does," he broke off to clear his throat and continued, "So what's up? I'm guessing you're here for a reason and not just for my stellar company. I didn't realize you were home; I thought Mira said you were out on a job with Lucy?"

"Erm...about that..." she stuttered, heart heavy again with the reminder. Gray cocked his head to the side questioningly and she sighed, "Juvia needs advice."

Gray raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "I thought we had already established that I'm the worst person you could ask for relationship advice."

"Juvia trusts Gray-sama the most. And she is desperate."

He shrugged, "Fair enough. So what's going on?"

The water mage shifted nervously, face already heating up before she even uttered a word. Gray sensed her hesitation and smiled at her reassuringly, "It's okay, Juvia. Everything's going to be okay, okay?" Juvia nodded, taking a deep breath and gathering as much courage as she could muster.

"Juvia may have...had sex...with Lucy."

Gray choked a little on his drink and there was a loud " _Holy shit_!" from the kitchen followed by the sound of a huge crash and several more curse words. Juvia's face burned more with each passing second.

"W-well damn," Gray replied after coughing a few times and setting down his mug. "Congratulations. So what-."

Natsu chose that moment to burst into the living room, " _You slept with Lucy_? Like... _Lucy_ Lucy?"

"Yes?" Juvia replied meekly.

She was surprised when the Dragon Slayer, who had apparently abandoned the worry that Juvia's close proximity to his mate was a threat, just threw his head back and laughed loudly, "That's amazing, way to go!" Juvia covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Aren't you supposed to be cooking? I thought you didn't want to deal with our 'girl talk'," Gray drawled.

"Yeah, well that was before when I thought you were talking about boring shit. This is exciting!"

"You're an idiot. Go finish your food before you burn my house down."

"Hey!"

" _Anyways_ ," Gray continued over Natsu stomping back to the kitchen in protest, "So you had sex with Lucy. I'd say you must be getting on pretty well then, right? So what's wrong?"

Juvia moved her hands away from her face and frowned, "Juvia and Lucy were on a job when it happened. When we came home today everything was awkward and uncomfortable and Lucy tried to speak to Juvia about it when we reached the guild, but Juvia got scared and ran away."

"Why were you scared?"

The water mage fidgeted, focusing intently on her hands in her lap, "Juvia is scared that Lucy regrets being with Juvia. Juvia doesn't know what she would do if Lucy didn't want to be near her anymore. She's afraid to hear Lucy say it because then it will be real. Juvia's afraid she's ruined everything."

"You don't know that though," Gray pointed out calmly. "Lucy's a big girl, she can make her own decisions. She was just as responsible for what happened as you were. I'd say there's a good chance she feels the same way and is worried that she might have done something to mess up your relationship as well. And I know you were scared, but I'm sure you taking off wouldn't help ease any of her apprehension."

Juvia sighed, feeling silly and ashamed, "Juvia knows. Juvia didn't want to hurt Lucy; she just panicked."

"Y'know," Natsu chimed in while popping his head through the kitchen doorway, "this is a lot like what you were yelling at me for the other day. Maybe you should just go talk to her before she disappears for a month and comes back looking like death warmed over."

"Did we ask for your opinion, firebreath?" Gray snapped. Once Natsu had gone again, the ice mage leaned forward and whispered, "He's right though. But if you tell anyone I said that I'll deny it until the end of time."

Juvia laughed, wiping at her damp eyes and feeling just a little of the weight on her chest lessen, "Okay, Juvia will speak to Lucy to clear things up." She sobered quickly, "Even if it doesn't go well, at least Juvia will know."

"You'll never know unless you try," Gray gave her a wink and chuckled at the glare she gave him in return. "Hey, your words, not mine."

"But what should Juvia do now? It is late and Lucy is probably not at the guild anymore and she probably would not answer her door at this hour...but Juvia doesn't think she can wait to talk to her or she will get too nervous again."

"That's easy," Natsu stated matter-of-factly, waltzing in yet again with a bowl in hand and plopping down on Gray's lap without warning, "Just go to her apartment and climb in her window. That's what I always do," he mumbled around a mouthful of rice.

"Yeah, because nothing says 'I love you' like breaking and entering..." Gray muttered while rolling his eyes and trying to adjust the Dragon Slayer sprawled across his legs.

Juvia smiled gratefully at her nakuma, "Juvia will go to her now then. Thank you, Gray-sama, Natsu-san. Juvia appreciates your help." She rose from the couch and headed to the door, throwing a casual, "Use protection!" over her shoulder and giggling at Gray's spluttering, "Juvia!" indignantly and Natsu yelling, "Fat chance!" as she walked outside.

* * *

Lucy's window was still open when Juvia finally pulled herself over the ledge. She sat for a moment, watching the celestial spirit mage. Lucy was sitting at her desk, back facing the window. Her long hair was down, cascading over her shoulders and she was wrapped in nothing but a fluffy pink towel. The bed only creaked a little beneath her when Juvia slid off the window ledge, but it was enough to make Lucy aware of her presence.

"Natsu Dragneel, you better turn your ass around and crawl right back out that window because I am really not-" She turned in her chair and Juvia watched as her anger quickly melted into confusion. "Juvia? What are you doing here?" Juvia's heart broke when the celestial spirit mage frantically swiped at her eyes to hide her tears.

Juvia stood, smoothing out her dress and slowly approached where Lucy was sitting. "Juvia is sorry for intruding. Juvia just needed to speak to Lucy immediately and it is late, so Natsu-san said to climb through the window."

"Of course he did," the blonde muttered under her breath. "But it's okay, really. I just wasn't expecting you."

Juvia inched closer to the blonde, taking in her puffy, red eyes and frowned. She hesitated only for a second before reaching out to wipe away a few stray tears off Lucy's cheeks. Lucy leaned a little into the touch making Juvia sigh in relief. Maybe she hadn't screwed this up after all.

"Lucy," she started quietly, "Juvia needs to apologize. Juvia didn't mean to leave. She was afraid of what Lucy would say and she didn't want to be rejected after what happened." She looked at her friend with determination, "But Juvia is ready now and even if Lucy doesn't feel the same, Juvia hopes it won't affect their friendship."

Lucy's eyes were wide and Juvia could practically see the hope radiating off of her. "Don't feel the same? So...you do have feelings for me?"

Juvia flushed and looked at the ground. "Yes. Juvia loves Lucy very much. Does Lucy...does Lucy want to be with Juvia, too?" she asked shyly.

When she felt Lucy take her hand, she looked up to see her friend's teary smile.

"Nothing would make me happier than being with you, Juvia."

Juvia had tears welling up in her eyes as she swiftly pulled Lucy to her feet and pressed their lips together. Lucy gasped in surprise and Juvia used that moment to slide her tongue into the blonde's mouth. Lucy moaned against her lips and the water mage felt the sound heating her to her core.

Lucy broke the kiss briefly, smiling coyly as she let her bath towel fall off her and drop to the ground. There were water droplets from where her hair was still wet dripping down her skin and Juvia had to forcibly stop herself from following them with her eyes in fear that her knees would give out.

Lucy giggled and wasted no time tugging off Juvia's clothing until she matched her state of undress before sealing their lips back together again. She slowly guided Juvia backwards until they collapsed side-by-side on the bed. Lucy smiled, gently playing with a lock of Juvia's blue hair. "I was worried when you left tonight," she whispered, "I thought maybe I had the wrong idea."

"Juvia is sorry," the water mage whispered back. "She thought maybe Lucy regretted her decision to be with Juvia."

Lucy grinned, trailing her fingers down from Juvia's hair across her cheek in order to trace the shape of her lips. "I have never regretted anything less in my life."

Juvia felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders when she heard those words. Laughter bubbled up from her chest and tumbled off her tongue and she pressed sloppy, open-mouthed kisses onto Lucy's bare skin in between each breath and giggle. The celestial spirit mage smiled fondly in return, running delicate fingers across Juvia's skin and they soon became a mess of limbs and laughter, loving words and affectionate touches. Juvia could never remember a time she felt so at peace with herself, with the world.

"I love you," Lucy murmured into Juvia's lips once they had settled down, "I love you so much." The water mage felt like her heart might burst.

"Juvia loves Lucy, too."

She curled around Lucy, continuing to press feather-light kisses against her skin while the blonde stroked her hair.

Less than a year ago, Juvia had a plan. She was sure she knew where she was going and who she was going to be with and how she was going to get there. She had lists and fantasies and misplaced conviction. Less than a year ago, she was so sure she knew what she wanted.

Yet here she was, hopes and desires torn apart and built back into something more magnificent than she could have ever imagined, even in her wildest dreams.

Laying in Lucy's bed she was finally at peace, loving and being loved by the most beautiful woman she'd ever met while knowing she had the best friend she could ever ask for mere minutes away and always at her back and a crazy, affectionate family to support her and make sure her skies were always blue.

Not so long ago, Juvia thought she knew exactly what she wanted.

And now she'd never been so happy to have been wrong.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! :)**


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